A new round of tension is brewing in relations between the center and the autonomy.
The Ministry of Justice of Moldova has submitted a request to the Constitutional Court of Moldova demanding a review of the constitutionality of several articles of the Law on the Special Legal Status of Gagauzia. Chișinău is targeting key areas: the security sector and the political governance of the region.
The central authorities of Moldova are questioning the right of the Başkan of Gagauzia to independently appoint the heads of territorial divisions of the police, justice bodies, as well as the Information and Security Service (SIS).
In addition, the Ministry of Justice has asked the judges of the Constitutional Court to assess the constitutionality of a provision of the Electoral Code that grants the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia the right to form the composition of the Central Electoral Commission within the autonomy.
In the autonomy, these actions have been perceived as an attempt to revise the region’s status. Acting Speaker of the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia, Nikolai Ormanji, scheduled an emergency session of the assembly for March 12 following the appeal to the Constitutional Court.
At the same time, an extraordinary meeting of the Presidium of the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia will take place on March 17. It will be held in an expanded format at the Сultural Center of the municipality of Comrat, starting at 11:00.
The head of the office of the Başkan and the Executive Committee, Ivan Kolioglo, stated that the initiative of the Ministry of Justice “does not contribute to normal dialogue” between Chișinău and Comrat. According to him, the appeal to the Constitutional Court coincided with the formation of a parliamentary working group on Gagauzia, which in the region was perceived not as a gesture of goodwill but as pressure.
“The appeal to the Constitutional Court has been received with concern by the regional authorities. Another initiative to reduce the powers of the region indicates the intention of the central authorities to lower the status of Gagauzia to the level of ‘studying language and culture’,” Kolioglo said.
Meanwhile, the Parliament of Moldova continues to exert pressure on the autonomy. The composition of the parliamentary working group on Gagauzia has already been officially approved. It includes 11 deputies representing various political forces. Larisa Voloh has been appointed co-chair of the group.
The composition of the group is as follows:
- From the ruling Party of Action and Solidarity (Romanian: Partidul Acțiune și Solidaritate, PAS) (6 seats): Natalia Davidovici, Igor Chiriac, Oleg Canațui, Marcela Adam, Liliana Nicolaescu-Onofrei.
- From the opposition: Grigore Novac (Socialist Party), Alexandr Stoianoglo (Alternative), Renato Usatîi (leader of the Our Party faction) and Sergey Stefanco (Democracy at Home party).
- From the left-wing forces: Konstantin Starish (Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova – PCRM).
The decision of the Constitutional Court on the request of the Ministry of Justice could radically change the balance of power between the center and the autonomy in favor of Chișinău. Stripping Gagauzia of the right to appoint the heads of security structures would effectively deprive the region of leverage over security and law enforcement on its territory. This is precisely what the central authorities are seeking.
