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On March 11, the Presidium of the People’s Assembly (PAG) of the autonomy decided to hold an urgent extraordinary meeting of the legislative body on March 17, 2026. This was reported by the press service of the PAG.
Only one issue will be submitted to the emergency session – “On the situation related to the appeal of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Moldova to the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Moldova regarding the recognition of some provisions of the Law of the Republic of Moldova “On the special legal status of Gagauzia (Gagauz Yeri)” No. 344/1994 as unconstitutional”.
The meeting will be held in an extended format, which implies the participation of representatives of other Gagauz authorities, including mayors of localities, in addition to local deputies.
What is the essence of the conflict
The lack of mutual understanding between Chisinau and Comrat has been known for a long time. Recently, the situation has been aggravated by the fact that there is a power vacuum in Gagauzia, also “thanks” to the actions of Chisinau.
The bashkan (head) of the autonomous unit, Eugenia Gutsul, was convicted by a Chisinau court for electoral corruption. However, since the verdict has been appealed and not all legal procedures have been finalized, the law does not allow elections of a new Bashkan.
On the other hand, the powers of PAG deputies expired in November 2025, but new elections have not been held yet. The reason is another conflict with Chisinau, which changed the Electoral Code in 2022 and demanded that Gagauzia harmonize its electoral legislation with the new Code. Although the very same “Law on the Special Legal Status of Gagauzia (Gagauz Yeri) of 1994 guarantees certain powers of the autonomy in the electoral process.
On the grounds of disagreements over the status of the Gagauz electoral commission (and even its name), Chisinau, through the courts, succeeded in dissolving the electoral bodies and prohibiting the holding of elections.
An absurd situation has arisen: the current PAG has run out of powers, the legislative body cannot adopt new laws (or change old ones). And without changing the laws, it is impossible to form an electoral body and hold elections.
What will be discussed at the emergency meeting?
The ruling party “Action and Solidarity” (PAS) found a way out of the deadlock in its own style: if the law is not satisfied with something, it must be changed.
The Ministry of Justice appealed to the Constitutional Court of Moldova to check the constitutionality of the right of the People’s Assembly to appoint, organize and conduct elections of PAG deputies, as well as to approve the composition of the Central Electoral Commission for elections.
In addition, the Ministry of Justice asks to assess whether the heads of sectoral departments can be members of the collegiums of ministries and departments of the Republic of Moldova (this is also provided for by the Law on the Special Legal Status of Gagauzia).
The autonomy also wants to take away the authority to appoint and dismiss the heads of regional police and SIS departments, as well as the heads of police inspectorates and Carabinieri troops.
And most importantly, the Constitutional Court is called upon to recognize as unconstitutional the right of the PAG to approve the peculiarities of the organization and conduct of regional elections. In other words, to force the authorities of the autonomy to play by the rules of Chisinau, and not according to the Law on the Special Legal Status of Gagauz Yeri.
These intentions of the Ministry of Justice (the current authority in Chisinau) will be the subject of discussion at the forum in Comrat on March 17. It is difficult to predict what decision will be made by the deputies and all those gathered.
But it is already obvious that the conflict between Chisinau and Comrat is entering a new stage of tension.
Reaction to Chisinau’s actions
Dmitry Ciubashenko, a well-known journalist and political scientist, sharply criticized the actions of the ruling party regarding Gagauzia.
“Cynically, brazenly, without considering the norms of law and elementary common sense, the central authorities of Chisinau decided to use “nuclear” weapons against Gagauzia. This is how the request of the Minister of Justice to the Constitutional Court to recognize as unconstitutional some provisions of the Law “On the Special Legal Status of Gagauzia (Gagauz Yeri)” concerning the Central Election Commission of the autonomy and its right to hold elections independently,” Ciubashenko wrote in his Telegram channel.
The journalist believes that the ruling elite, which does not have an organic majority of 61 votes in the Moldovan parliament and therefore is unable to change this law, decided to act in a roundabout way – through the power tool of the CC, turning it into a political cudgel.
The goal is very transparent: to deprive Gagauzia of its own CEC, to take away from the autonomy the right to organize the electoral process and to impose on it alien rules of the game – with the filtering of candidates and the appointment of so-called “correct” and “honest” people.
“If Chisinau seriously decided to start such a war with its own people, they should remember a simple thing: political “nuclear strikes” do not destroy Gagauzia – they destroy the whole Moldova”, – states Dmitry Ciubashenko.
Fedor Gagauz, a former member of the Moldovan Parliament, also reacted to the situation in social networks. “Unfortunately, year by year, the relations between Chisinau and Comrat are degrading more and more. Some powers of Gagauzia have been revoked by the central government. At present, representatives of the country’s leadership are openly calling for the dismantling, for the complete liquidation of Gagauzia’s autonomous rights. Right now, Chisinau is purposefully blocking the next elections of deputies to the People’s Assembly. And this causes serious anxiety and concern for every resident of the autonomy,” he wrote.
Fedor Gagauz believes that Chisinau demonstrates an absolutely non-state approach to the Gagauz autonomy. The powers that Gagauzia has are in line with European principles and do not contradict the functioning of a unitary state, which Moldova is. “On the contrary, the creation of legal and political guarantees for the autonomy’s status would make it possible to unlock its potential more effectively and strengthen the unity of our common homeland,” he said.
“I see the future of Gagauzia in a strong and developing Moldova. In a country where the authorities respect the Constitution and fulfill their own obligations. Gagauzians have always been in favor of a strong and independent Republic of Moldova. But respect should be mutual. When Chisinau, and more precisely, the political class of the country will realize this, conflicts and tension will disappear. And then we will be able to build together a strong and successful country,” the former MP emphasized.
It is obvious that the topic of Gagauzia will develop in the near future. In which direction – depends on both sides.
