---
title: "Gagauzia sets Nov. 15 legislative vote following year-long stalemate"
url: https://radiomoldova.md/p/83998/gagauzia-sets-nov-15-legislative-vote-following-year-long-stalemate
published: 2026-08-28T14:07:36Z
language: en
author: "Raisa Lozinschi-Hadei"
section: "Elections"
source: radiomoldova.md
---

# Gagauzia sets Nov. 15 legislative vote following year-long stalemate

> Moldova’s Central Electoral Commission launched preparations on Friday for Gagauzia’s regional assembly elections scheduled for Nov. 15, opening the race after parliament overhauled electoral laws to resolve a year-long institutional deadlock.

![](https://storage.radiomoldova.md/images/9db8b762-32d9-4159-985e-80bdb42fa420.jpg)

Moldova’s Central Electoral Commission launched preparations on Friday for Gagauzia’s regional assembly elections scheduled for Nov. 15, opening the race after parliament overhauled electoral laws to resolve a year-long institutional deadlock.

The official pre-election period began on Aug. 28, tasking election authorities with establishing lower-level electoral councils, setting up polling stations, examining candidate filings, and updating voter registries. Official campaigning will formally begin on Oct. 16.

**New voting rules and centralized oversight**

The Nov. 15 ballot will mark the final election conducted under a majoritarian system before the autonomous region transitions to proportional representation. Under amendments passed by the national parliament following a July 9 Constitutional Court ruling, the region will establish a Central Electoral Council of 7 to 11 members operating under direct coordination from Chișinău's central electoral authority.

The updated legislation also tightens restrictions on the misuse of administrative resources and introduces stricter campaign finance rules. Alongside traditional bank accounts, candidates and initiative groups may now use payment accounts provided by National Bank of Moldova-authorized institutions to streamline the tracking and auditing of electoral funds.

**Stricter residency and language requirements**

Under the new voter registration rules, citizens planning to vote based on temporary residency must register at least three months prior to election day.

The amendments also introduce two mandatory eligibility criteria for candidates running for Bashkan (regional governor): a minimum of 10 years of residency in Gagauzia and certified proficiency in Romanian—provisions absent from the region's original autonomy statute.

Regional authorities in Comrat requested a postponement of the legislative vote, while parliamentary opposition lawmakers in Chișinău announced plans to challenge the electoral amendments at the Constitutional Court.

The mandate of Gagauzia's regional assembly expired on Nov. 15, 2025, leaving the legislature in limbo. The autonomous region also lacks a sitting governor following the seven-year prison sentence handed to Evghenia Guțul in an illicit party financing case linked to the outlawed pro-Russian Șor Party.

Translation by **Iurie Tataru**