Gagauz People’s Assembly Vice-Speaker Resigned

On Sunday, 6 May, the People’s Assembly press service said that a special session of the autonomy’s legislative body would be held on Monday at 11.00. The topic of the meeting was not announced. The meeting discussed the issue of Alexandru Tarnavski’s resignation. A deputy said that Tarnavski ‘is fighting for the destruction of our Gagauzia by holding the post of deputy speaker’. Tarnavski was blamed for his criticism of the Gagauz leadership, calls for constructive cooperation between Chisinau and Comrat, and unwillingness to approve the agreement on pension supplements - the agreement was signed by Bașkan Evghenia Guțul and PSB head Petr Fradkov, gagauzinfo.md reports. ‘He openly showed his supervisor that he is against the Russian language, although he speaks it. Where is the guarantee that tomorrow he will not vote against the Gagauz language? Agents like Tarnavski should not hold leadership positions in our Gagauzia,’ the statement says. Alexandru Tarnavski himself stated that he did not violate the current legislation and considers the decision on his resignation to be a political order. ‘I did not vote against the Russian language. At all open platforms I spoke in favor of developing relations with Chisinau. If you consider ‘unity’ to be uniting around Ilan Șor, I do not think so, and I will continue to oppose it. Their decision to remove me demonstrates how meanly the head of Gagauzia and the chair of the People’s Assembly act,’ Tarnavski said. Chair of the Standing Committee on Regulations, Appointments, Immunity and Parliamentary Ethics Mihail Jelezoglo said that the decision to dismiss Tarnavski was a violation of the regulations. ‘A deputy should not be held accountable for his position and voting. One should be encouraged, not penalized, for expressing one’s point of view. One can be dismissed from his post for inconsistency with his position. Alexandru Tarnavski is one of the most effective deputies whose bills are still in force. I am against it and will not vote in favor of it,’ Mihail Jelezoglo said. Speaker Dmitri Konstantinov noted that ‘everyone has their own position and opinion and it is normal’. ‘If the vice says we have GRT full propaganda, then we shouldn’t be surprised by the fines. Our autonomy was simply not recognized. We were fined because we push them to do it,’ Konstantinov said. A group of MPs backed him. ‘If we are all crooks, then you are offending both us and the voters. I have no claims against you as a deputy. You can speak. However, when you are introduced and called deputy speaker, it means that you express all deputies. You have lost my trust,’ Ivan Karaja said. As a result, a majority of votes ‘in favor’ by secret ballot dismissed Tarnavski from the post of PAG Vice-Speaker. ‘19 deputies voted in favor, 1 against. Another 13 ballots were invalidated, not all deputies voted.