Gagauzia deputies defy Bashkan’s veto on child surgery aid
Tensions are rising between Gagauzia’s Executive Committee and the People's Assembly after Bashkan Evghenia Guțul refused to sign amendments to a law increasing financial aid for children requiring costly surgeries.
The People's Assembly overrode her veto, insisting that the additional funds were necessary.
For years, a special fund has been in place to help families cover expensive medical procedures for children. Last month, the People's Assembly voted to increase the maximum amount a family could receive, which required the Executive Committee to allocate an additional 1 million lei (~50,000 euro). However, Guțul rejected the amendments, citing the lack of identified funding sources, a decision that frustrated several deputies.
“An increase of just 1 million lei? What is that? Your program promised 500 million dollars. One million is nothing! You’re being deceived—we already have too many problems!” said Ivan Caraja, a deputy of the People's Assembly.
Deputy Ivan Dimitroglo also criticized the Executive, stating, “The authorities should consider their chosen path. The ‘Plai de vis’ program never planned to cut social programs. Let’s be honest, many social initiatives have suffered since this administration took office.”
The amendments sought to raise the maximum aid from 100,000 lei to 400,000 lei per family, with exceptions allowing up to 500,000 lei. In response, the Executive Committee proposed a compromise: increasing aid from 100,000 to 150,000 lei, and in exceptional cases, from 150,000 to 300,000 lei. They also suggested forming a mediation commission to reach an agreement.
However, this proposal failed to convince the deputies, who voted to override Guțul’s veto by majority.
The conflict between the Executive Committee and the People's Assembly appears far from over. Deputy Alexandr Tarnavski announced that, along with colleagues, he will compile a report on alleged violations by the Executive, potentially initiating proceedings to dissolve it.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
