An attempt to resolve what has been described as the “Gagauz issue” through a draft resolution supported by Moldova’s central authorities has failed after a session of the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia (NSG) was unable to reach a quorum.
According to participants in the dispute, members of the Executive Committee of Gagauzia boycotted the meeting, arguing that the document had been prepared behind closed doors and without sufficient transparency. As a result, only 13 of the assembly’s 33 deputies attended the session, preventing it from proceeding.
First Deputy Chairman of the Executive Committee Ilia Uzun criticized the process, stating that the Executive Committee had received the documents only on the morning of the meeting.
“The Executive Committee received the documents this morning. We do not know what they contain. This is a decision of historic importance. What kind of closed-door negotiations were taking place? We were ignored. The draft should have been sent to the Justice Department for a legal opinion and subjected to public hearings. Was I invited here simply to legitimize something unlawful? I am not going to participate in that,” Uzun said.
Following the failed session, acting chairman of the People’s Assembly, Nikolai Ormanji, submitted his resignation.
Ormanji had been viewed by some observers as a compromise figure capable of facilitating agreements between the autonomy’s institutions and Moldova’s central authorities.
“I did everything I could to organize and conduct elections to the People’s Assembly, but at today’s session the deputies were unable to adopt the resolution developed jointly with the central authorities,”
Ormanji stated after announcing his resignation.
Until a new chairman is selected, the duties of the position will be performed by another deputy speaker, Nikolai Lenchu.
A final decision on the future leadership of the People’s Assembly is expected to be made at a future NSG session, although the date of that meeting has not yet been announced.
