Manole: Gagauzia governor must know Romanian language

“It is not a new requirement”: Manole justifies the obligation for candidates for the post of baschan to know the Romanian language

The requirement for candidates for the office of governor of Gagauzia to have a knowledge of the Romanian language is neither new nor unexpected, as it is based on the linguistic status established by the Constitution and legislation for more than three decades. The President of the Constitutional Court, Domnica Manole, explained the Court’s reasoning during the review of the constitutionality of this provision.

Domnica Manole

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“This reality is also reflected in Article 3(1) of the Law on the Special Status of Gagauzia, which recognises Romanian, Gagauz and Russian as the official languages of this territorial unit. Therefore, the requirement for a candidate for the office of governor to have a command of the Romanian language cannot be considered an unforeseeable condition,” stated Domnica Manole on Friday during a press conference.

According to her, knowledge of the Romanian language is also necessary for the effective exercise of the mandate and for communication with the central authorities.

“The coherent functioning of the state and the effectiveness of cooperation between national authorities and the authorities of the autonomous territorial unit depend on the governor’s ability to communicate directly with central authorities in the official language. This requirement forms part of the general legal framework governing public office and, at the same time, corresponds to a practical need for the effective exercise of the mandate and for inter-institutional communication,” explained the President of the Court.

The petition was lodged with the Constitutional Court by a group of MPs from the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova, led by Igor Dodon. The petitioners requested that the provision establishing knowledge of the Romanian language as a requirement for candidates for the office of governor (bașcan) of Gagauzia be declared unconstitutional and that it be removed from the Electoral Code.

The new provision came into force on 26 August 2026 and will be applied for the first time in the elections for the post of governor of Gagauzia scheduled for 15 November.

This story was translated with the assistance of artificial intelligence.The translation was also reviewed by the Logos Press editorial team.

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