Gagauzia Assembly Pushes Changes to Electoral Code, Seeks to Remove ‘Camouflaged Independent Candidate’ Term

The People's Assembly of Gagauzia approved a set of proposals to amend the draft Electoral Code prepared by Moldova's Parliament. Lawmakers asked that the phrase “camouflaged independent candidate” be removed, arguing it creates legal uncertainty and allows subjective interpretation of candidates.

The proposals also call for clearer rules on campaign financing, electoral campaigning, and candidate reporting, and request clarification of restrictions on local officials during elections, including the powers of the Bashkan, the Executive Committee and subdivision heads. They seek to give the Central Electoral Commission of Gagauzia a formal role in supervising regional elections and to define it as an independent collegial body.

Additionally, the Assembly suggests that signature verification for independent candidates be handled by the Central Electoral Council, allowing collection of signatures in any locality within the autonomous region. These initiatives follow a July 9 Constitutional Court ruling that struck down several provisions of the existing electoral framework.