Mikhail Vlah condemns plans to remove Evghenia Guțul
Mikhail Vlah, an adviser to the Bashkan of Gagauzia, has sharply criticised alleged plans by members of the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia to remove Evghenia Guțul from office following a meeting with Vasile Postică. He said the deputies intended to hold elections for the assembly and the bashkan on the same day.
“It is obvious that these people are working for Chișinău,” Vlah said in a video address that has circulated widely on social media.
His comments followed several events over the previous week, including a meeting between deputies and the president, a gathering of mayors and a scientific and practical conference. Vlah said the main cause of his concern was information that members of the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia intended to remove Guțul at their next session and schedule both elections for 15 November.
Vlah described the alleged plan as not merely unethical but sacrilegious, particularly because the serving bashkan remains under investigation and the Supreme Court of Justice Moldova has not yet issued a final decision in her case.
“In my view, this is unethical from a human perspective and even sacrilegious. The Bashkan of Gagauzia still has a mandate under the current laws, and the Supreme Court of Justice has not yet expressed its position or confirmed the decisions of the first-instance and appeal courts in what they have turned into political lawlessness and a commissioned case,” he said.
Vlah accuses deputies of following Chișinău’s agenda
Vlah was particularly critical of the idea of holding a new election while Guțul remains in prison but, in his view, has not abandoned the interests of the Gagauz people. He contrasted her conduct with that of the assembly’s deputies.
“When the Bashkan of Gagauzia, a fragile woman, has shown everyone that she has more courage than all the deputies and the entire assembly, holding an election while the bashkan is in prison and has not abandoned the interests of the Gagauz people is not simply inhumane,” Vlah said.
“She did not make any deals when they tried to break her at the first stage, and she has not done so now while she is imprisoned. To call a bashkan election at such a time makes it obvious that these people are working for Chișinău,” he added.
Vlah also said the deputies’ own mandates had expired and that they should have called elections to the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia on time. Instead, he accused them of trying to change the political agenda and operate on terms set by the central authorities.
According to Vlah, the overwhelming majority of residents in Gagauzia do not support such actions. He claimed that the situation had been set in motion by the recent visit to the region by PAS deputy Vasile Postică.
“Postică’s arrival launched a very dangerous mechanism. We must act strictly in accordance with the Law on the Special Legal Status and defend Gagauz powers as required by law. The people of Gagauzia will undoubtedly give everyone their assessment,” Vlah said.
Assembly speaker warns against rushed legal changes
Against this background, Valentin Gaidarji, chairman of the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia, said the Gagauz side opposed hasty amendments to electoral legislation. He made the comments after taking part in a working meeting at the Parliament of Moldova on 27 July.
Gaidarji said the authorities in Chișinău were acting at “the speed of light” without allowing enough time to analyse the proposed changes. He expressed hope that they would ultimately demonstrate restraint and a willingness to engage in genuine dialogue.
“The tensions between Chișinău and Comrat that have accumulated over recent years cannot be resolved within a few weeks by hastily amending fundamental laws concerning the status of the autonomy and the exercise of citizens’ rights,” Gaidarji said.
“This is not the conduct expected from a democratic state and a candidate for membership of the European Union,” he added.
Vlah’s comments have further intensified the dispute over Guțul’s position and the timing of elections in the autonomous region. He maintained that any attempt to remove the serving bashkan before the courts had issued a final ruling would undermine Gagauzia’s legal status and deepen mistrust between Comrat and Chișinău.
