Speaker on PAS participation in Gagauzia elections: For now, we have no decision

The Action and Solidarity Party (PAS) has not yet made a decision on participating in the elections for the position of governor of the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia. Party leader Igor Grosu said last night during a TV show that the matter is still being discussed and that the party is assessing its chances in the region.


“We do not yet have a decision on this matter. I am telling you as it is: we are still discussing it,” said Igor Grosu.


According to the official, the authorities’ objective is for the elections in Gagauzia to take place without vote-buying, manipulation, or outside interference.


“I believe our main objective is to use the vote in Parliament and the state institutions to ensure that finally elections are held in Gagauzia that are not bought, manipulated, or influenced from outside,” Grosu said.


The speaker noted that the central authorities had created dialogue platforms in Chisinau, including at Parliament and the Presidency, with the participation of deputies and opinion leaders from Gagauzia, in order to identify a compromise on the rules for organizing elections in the region.


“We have not abandoned the matter there. We also facilitated a framework here, in Chisinau, to help find common ground on the particularities of elections in the region,” Grosu said.


He said that the rules governing elections in Gagauzia should have been approved by the regional authorities, but the process was not completed.


“This effort failed. We seemed to leave the meeting optimistic that we had found compromises on the name of the commission, funding, and electoral rolls. Unfortunately, the approval of these rules in the People’s Assembly failed,” Grosu said.


Regarding the possibility of nominating a PAS candidate, Igor Grosu said that the party wants to encourage the involvement of young people, new politicians, and individuals who have not previously been involved in politics.

PAS did not nominate a candidate for Gagauzia governor in the 2023 elections.

The elections for Gagauzia governor will take place on November 15, 2026, simultaneously with the elections for the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia. According to the Central Electoral Commission, the elections in the autonomous region will cost more than 13.6 million lei.

The position of governor of Gagauzia became vacant after Evghenia Gutul was convicted in the Shor case. The governor heads the executive authorities of the autonomy and is elected by direct vote for a four-year term. According to data from the 2024 Population and Housing Census, the population of Gagauzia is approximately 103,700.