Ivan Burgudji
This opinion was expressed on social media by Ivan Burgudji, a lawyer and advisor to the chairman of the Gagauz People’s Assembly (as he introduced himself), who called this demand an “ultimatum” to the region.
As a reminder, at a meeting on July 20 between President Maia Sandu, members of Parliament, and the leadership of Moldova’s Central Election Commission with members of the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia on July 20, it was announced that elections in the autonomous region would be held under a proportional representation system, rather than through single-member districts, as had been the case in Gagauzia until now.
“The demands of the central authorities of the Republic of Moldova to switch to a proportional representation system for elections to the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia (PAG), instead of the current majority system, are legally untenable and null and void, since Decision No. 8 of the Constitutional Court (CC RM) No. 8 of July 9, 2026, did not address or alter the voting system in the autonomy at all,” Burgudji wrote. “Therefore, any attempts to abolish single-member districts in Gagauzia, citing this ruling, constitute a gross abuse of authority, a usurpation of power, and a direct violation of the provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova.”
The advisor to the NSG chairman notes that the Constitutional Court considered exclusively procedural issues related to election administration and personnel appointments, rather than the method of forming the body of deputies. The text of the Constitutional Court’s ruling contains no mention whatsoever of changing from a majority system to a proportional system. The issue of territorial districts was not even the subject of the Moldovan Ministry of Justice’s petition.
The status and rights of the autonomous region are being violated
According to Burgudji, attempts to switch to a proportional voting system directly violate Art. 111 of the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova, under which the country’s Basic Law guarantees that Gagauzia is an autonomous territorial entity with special status that independently resolves issues within its jurisdiction.
“The procedure for forming its own legislative body is a fundamental right of the autonomous region,” Burgudji believes.
Furthermore, he is convinced that the Chisinau authorities’ intention to change the electoral system disregards Article 8 of Law No. 344/1994 on the special legal status of Gagauzia. “This article has not been challenged, has not been declared unconstitutional, and remains fully in force. It explicitly stipulates that elections must be held in territorial districts, and that each village must have at least one deputy. A proportional (party-list) system is technically incapable of meeting this requirement,” the lawyer notes.
