Gagauzia elections crisis: Why the Moldovan autonomy faces unprecedented delay
The Gagauz Autonomy, a self-governing region in southern Moldova, faces an unprecedented electoral delay.
Although the mandate of the current People's Assembly (PA) expires in November, it is currently impossible to hold elections.
The region is without an electoral body after its Gagauzia Electoral Commission (GEC) was dissolved by the PA two years ago. The decision was challenged in court, and the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) will not rule on the case until November 26.
The impasse could, however, continue even if the court reinstates the commission's former composition, as some members have announced their resignation, and the legal deadlines for organizing the poll have already passed.
As a result, elections in Gagauzia could be postponed until next spring.
Background to the blockage
The Gagauzia People's Assembly (GPA) voted to dissolve the GEC in December 2023. The decision was proposed by the local legislature's speaker, Dmitri Constantinov, who cited "inefficiency" and the need for institutional reform. The decision was challenged in court, and both the trial court and the Court of Appeal subsequently ruled that the move was illegal.
In a session on August 15, 2025, local deputies approved three candidates from the People's Assembly for the future composition of the regional electoral authority. However, the Executive Committee and the office of the Bashkan (regional governor) have not submitted their own candidates, and the Comrat court refused to delegate a representative as long as the decision to dissolve the previous electoral body has no final judicial resolution.
The Gagauzia Central Electoral Commission has nine members. Three are appointed by the People's Assembly, three by the Executive Committee, and three by the local courts in the Comrat, Ceadîr-Lunga, and Vulcănești districts, following proposals from their general assemblies.
Officials speak out
An anonymous representative of the now-dissolved Gagauzia Electoral Commission told the Moldovan public broadcaster Teleradio-Moldova that the commission had de facto ceased operations following the PA's 2023 decision.
"The trial and appeal courts established that the dissolution was illegal, but despite these rulings, the commission did not resume its work. Essentially, the autonomy has been left without an electoral body that can hold the poll," the source said.
The source added that resignations by some commission members could block the resumption of its work even if the SCJ definitively annuls the People's Assembly's two-year-old decision. The legal deadlines for holding the elections have passed, meaning the poll can no longer take place in 2025.
Serghei Cernev, the Head of the State Chancellery Office in Gagauzia, confirmed that the Supreme Court's verdict is decisive.
"The whole thing hinges on the SCJ. The case is there, and until a final ruling is pronounced, no one can set the election date," Cernev told Teleradio-Moldova.
Cernev asserted that the decision to dissolve the commission was political, intended to allow the Speaker, Dmitri Constantinov, greater influence over the electoral process.
According to him, the elections could be postponed until spring 2026 since the legal deadlines have passed. The national Central Electoral Commission in Chișinău confirmed to Teleradio-Moldova that the election process in Gagauzia does not fall under its jurisdiction.
Dmitri Constantinov declined to comment on the situation when contacted by Teleradio-Moldova.
The elections for the Gagauzia People's Assembly were originally set for November 16, 2025. The issue was only discussed on August 15. However, deputies failed to reach a consensus, and the deadline to form the electoral commission and announce the poll expired on August 16.
The Gagauzia People's Assembly (Halk Topluşu) is the region's representative and legislative authority.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
