Moldovan parliament speaker says elections must be organized in Gagauzia as soon as possible

CHISINAU, July 24 /MOLDPRES/ - Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu has said that elections must be organized in the Gagauz autonomy “as soon as possible”, noting that the central authorities would identify the necessary legal solutions to unblock the situation and ensure a fair and transparent ballot.

According to Grosu, the current deadlock was triggered by the autonomy’s own authorities, but the parliament is obliged to find a solution in accordance with the court’s decision.

“We must hold elections there as soon as possible. Even though they blocked themselves, and no one else did this but them, we are obliged to come up with a solution,” the parliament speaker said.

The PAS leader stressed that all parties must respect court rulings, even when they disagree with them. In the context, he recalled that the parliamentary majority had  also previously forced to accept the Constitutional Court’s decision regarding the value added tax (VAT) regime applied in Gagauzia.

“You have to accept the decision of the Constitutional Court. Last time, we also did not agree with the ruling on VAT, but we observed it. Exactly the same now. Whether we like it or not, there is a decision, and the parliament must implement it,” Grosu said.

The speaker emphasized that the future elections in the autonomy must be organized under the same conditions as in the rest of Moldova, in compliance with the rules on the vetting of electoral officials, donation caps and the accuracy of electoral lists.

“The elections must take place and we must guarantee that they are organized correctly, that the Central Electoral Commission can monitor the process and ensure the integrity of electoral officials. These are general rules applicable throughout the territory of Moldova and I see no reason for special or preferential conditions,” Grosu said.

He specified that legislative solutions would be examined in the parliament’s legal commission and underlined that the autonomy needs functional institutions.

“We will discuss in the legal commission the solutions that will allow us to hold fair elections. The autonomy needs a body to lead it. We will adopt the decision and apply the law,” Igor Grosu said.

At the same time, the parliament speaker argued that the deadlock in Gagauzia is being fueled from outside.

“This path of self-blockade, unfortunately, reinforces my conviction that they are listening to instructions from Moscow. It is a path toward blockage, and we will apply the law,” Igor Grosu concluded.

The situation regarding the organization of elections in Gagauzia has been recently discussed at consultations between the central authorities and representatives of the autonomy. President Maia Sandu met deputies of the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia and with mayors of the region; the discussions focused on identifying solutions to overcome the electoral deadlock and to hold a transparent electoral process, in accordance with the legislation.

The Moldovan authorities reiterated the need to continue the dialogue with the representatives of the autonomy, but stressed that electoral rules must be applied uniformly throughout the territory of Moldova. The deadlock arose in the context of disagreements over the application of legal requirements for organizing elections, including the appointment of electoral bodies.