Moldova's Constitutional Court curtails Gagauzia's electoral and appointment powers

The Constitutional Court of Moldova, acting on a petition from the Justice Ministry, declared several provisions of the legal framework governing the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia (UTA Găgăuzia) unconstitutional. The ruling nullified clauses that allowed Gagauzia to participate in appointing heads of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, and the Security and Intelligence Service, as well as to organise its own electoral commission and conduct elections for local authorities and the regional assembly.

In a related development, the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) rejected the mayor of the village of Gaidar’s request to dissolve the local council, finding that the council had adopted decisions during the disputed period. Consequently, the council will remain in place and new elections are not triggered.