Grosu: Chisinau and Gagauzia Almost Reached an Agreement on Holding Elections in the Autonomous Region

The Chisinau authorities and representatives of the Gagauz People’s Assembly are close to reaching a compromise on the organization of elections to the autonomous region’s legislative body. The vote could take place before the end of this year, according to Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu. According to Grosu, a meeting between representatives of the parliament and the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia took place on Monday, 11 May, reports moldova1.md. “I have been informed that solutions have been found for approximately 95% of the issues we refer to as the specific features of holding elections in Gagauzia. In the next few days, colleagues from the People’s Assembly will present a draft resolution that will include these specific features,” he clarified. The changes are intended to bring electoral procedures in the autonomous region into line with national standards. This concerns the procedure for appointing and vetting members of electoral commissions, the vetting of candidates by state bodies, electoral rolls and campaign financing rules. “They must all undergo vetting, just as they do here. The Security and Intelligence Service and the National Integrity Authority report whether everything is in order. Electoral rolls, the issue of candidate funding. We found that in Gagauzia, for example, there was no limit on cash funding – that is not normal,” explained Grosu. The draft will be further reviewed by Parliament and the Central Electoral Commission to resolve any legal ambiguities before final approval by the People’s Assembly. “We cannot leave this in limbo,” stated Grosu, emphasizing that the authorities’ aim is to hold elections in Gagauzia by the end of the year. The electoral crisis in Gagauzia has been ongoing for several months. Local authorities refused to apply the provisions of Moldova’s new Electoral Code and hold elections to the People’s Assembly on 16 November 2025, as required by law. As a result, the elections have entered a vicious cycle of postponements. The mandate of the local legislative body expired in November 2025, but the vote did not take place. Both scheduled dates – 22 March and 21 June – were successively cancelled by court rulings.