New leader of People’s Assembly of Gagauzia proposes roundtable with central authorities

New president of the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia Valentin Gaidarji is proposing the organization of a roundtable with the central authorities in Chisinau in order to overcome political tensions and identify common solutions for strengthening institutional dialogue.

The statements were made during a briefing held in Comrat, where the official emphasized the need for a new approach in the relationship between the autonomy and the state authorities.


“We have come with a completely new approach, with unprecedented openness and an honest dialogue for concrete solutions. We no longer accept that Gagauzia be portrayed as a threat to the unity of the state. On the contrary, we want to be a pillar of stability,” said Valentin Gaidarji.


He stated that the new leadership of the People’s Assembly aims to promote constructive dialogue and cooperation with the institutions in Chisinau, for the benefit of the citizens of the autonomy and of the entire country.

He noted that, in the context of the Government of the Republic of Moldova being in resignation, a roundtable can be organized, with the participation of the top leadership of the country and representatives of the autonomy, in order to resolve all disagreements.

Valentin Gaidarji made a public appeal to the judges of the Constitutional Court, in which he requested the postponement of the examination of aspects related to the elections in the region, and specified that this institutional pause would allow the new administration in Comrat and the central authorities to form a joint working group capable of finding a viable consensus.

Answering questions from journalists present at the event, the new president of the People’s Assembly reaffirmed his support for the country’s European integration path. He also firmly rejected any association with or influence from political figures.

Valentin Gaidarji stated that he has sent official letters to the President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, and to the President of Parliament, Igor Grosu, as well as to the ambassadors of partner states and organizations, in which he requested support for halting tensions and transforming the Gagauz autonomy from an instrument of political confrontation into a pillar of regional development.

At the end of last week, Valentin Gaidarji was elected president of the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia. Two candidates were nominated for the position of president: deputy Valentin Gaidarji and the vice president of the People’s Assembly, Gheorghe Leiciu, who later withdrew his candidacy. Eighteen local deputies took part in the voting procedure.

The resignation of the former president, Nicolai Ormanji, came amid the institutional crisis in the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia, where the repeated lack of quorum blocked the examination of draft decisions regarding the organization of regional elections.

At the beginning of June, the issue of organizing elections in Gagauzia was discussed during consultations held at the Presidency, with the participation of representatives of the central authorities, the Central Electoral Commission, and the autonomy.

Following the discussions, the participants agreed on the need to harmonize local electoral legislation with the provisions of the Electoral Code of the Republic of Moldova, so that elections in the autonomy are organized in accordance with national standards on transparency, campaign financing, and the functioning of electoral bodies.

According to the authorities in Chisinau, the draft law amending the legal framework was drawn up after several rounds of consultations with representatives of the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia, the Executive Committee, and deputies from the autonomy. Despite the compromises identified during the negotiations, the process of adopting the new electoral rules remains blocked.