Gagauzia election amendments face calls for local debate
Party of Socialists MP Vladimir Odnostalco has urged parliament to postpone consideration of amendments to the Electoral Code affecting Gagauzia and move the debate to the autonomous region. During parliamentary discussions, he sharply criticised attempts by the governing Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) to impose changes without consulting local representatives.
According to Odnostalco, instead of following a European approach based on dialogue and consensus, the parliamentary majority is advancing “40 pages of text” that were not discussed with the autonomy.
“There should be a European atmosphere of agreement and consensus here today. But what do we have? We have a ruling party pushing 40 pages of text. Many of them have nothing to do with Gagauzia, but Gagauzia is being used as a cover,” he said.
The MP also pointed to the absence of key participants who, in his view, should have been involved in discussions on changes of such importance to the region. He said representatives of Central Electoral Commission Moldova, the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia, local mayors, civil society and the Council of Elders should all have attended.
“The Central Electoral Commission should have been here to explain why this is necessary. Deputies from the People’s Assembly should have been here, but they are not. The mayors, the public and the Council of Elders, an important institution in Gagauzia, should have been here. They are not. What consensus are we talking about?” Odnostalco said.
MP warns established autonomy rules are being overturned
Odnostalco said the autonomy had lived for 30 years under rules developed by people of considerable experience, including international partners. He argued that Gagauzia had served as an example of how a multinational country could function.
“We were, and for now still are, an example of how a multinational country should live. But someone does not like that,” he claimed.
The MP was particularly angered by what he described as an attempt by the authorities to make residents of the autonomy responsible for problems surrounding the 2023 elections for bashkan and the People’s Assembly. He said the central authorities had been fully aware of events at the time and had possessed all the necessary powers to intervene.
“In 2023, when the bashkan election was held, and even when the People’s Assembly election took place, you knew everything that was happening. Why are you now putting pressure on the Gagauz people for something you once failed to oversee? You held all the power. And now the Gagauz are to blame for everything,” Odnostalco said.
He also accused the Chișinău authorities of treating the region unfairly over language policy. According to the MP, residents had effectively lost the right to communicate with the authorities in Russian but had not been given adequate access to information in Gagauz, leaving Romanian as the only practical alternative.
“When I want to persuade someone of something, I go to them and speak in a language they understand. You do not like Russian, that is not a problem. But provide communication in Gagauz. Give people this information,” he said. “Then there is the question of Romanian-language proficiency. In that case, please provide the tools so that people can learn it.”
Odnostalco alleges candidate selection is being controlled
Odnostalco further accused the authorities of manipulating the selection of candidates. In his interpretation, Chișinăuwas offering Gagauz voters a choice only among people who had already been screened by PAS, which he described as a departure from European electoral standards.
“A disguised candidate. You will allow the Gagauz to choose only from those whom you have selected for them to choose. And this is called an election. This is abnormal, it is deception. It is not European,” the MP declared.
Concluding his remarks, Odnostalco called for full consultations to be held directly in Gagauzia and for consideration of the initiative to be postponed.
“There is no need to be afraid of coming to us. Everything is normal, everything is fine. Move the discussion of this draft law to Gagauzia. Consensus is needed,” he concluded.
The bill containing the Gagauzia election amendments was approved by parliament in its first reading on 30 July. Its second reading is scheduled for 24 August.
