Gagauzia election crisis: assembly seeks judicial harmony to avoid results nullification
Gagauzia’s Regional Assembly (APG) will make a renewed attempt to appoint a Central Election Commission (CEC) in Comrat this Friday. The move aims to break a year-long systemic deadlock that has paralyzed the region's legislative elections.
The 43rd ordinary session, scheduled for February 13 at 11:00 AM, places the appointment of the electoral body as a priority item. Regional deputies are under pressure to resolve the crisis before the scheduled March 22 polls.
Elections for the Gagauzia Assembly were originally set for late 2025 but faced repeated delays. The paralysis intensified after a November 2025 Supreme Court ruling declared the previous dissolution of the regional CEC illegal, mandating its immediate restoration.
In January, the Assembly approved €218,800 (approx. 4.3M MDL) for the first round of voting and €86,500 (approx. 1.7M MDL) for the commission’s 2026 operations. However, judicial suspensions continue to hinder the appointment of new members.
Experts warn that if the local impasse is not resolved through harmonization with Moldova’s national Electoral Code, the upcoming elections risk postponement. Furthermore, any results produced under the current legal ambiguity could face international delegitimation.
In a push for a technical solution, an Assembly delegation led by Interim Speaker Nicolae Ormanji met with Moldova’s CEC Vice President, Pavel Postica, on February 10. They proposed an inter-institutional group to align regional norms with national law.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
