Following the Constitutional Court’s decision to limit the powers of the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia, authorities in Chisinau and Comrat have begun working together on new legislative provisions. The Speaker of the People’s Assembly, Valentin Gaidarji, said a delegation from the autonomous region was at the Moldovan Parliament on Monday for consultations.
According to Gaidarji, Gagauz officials were invited by PAS lawmaker Igor Chiriac, secretary of Parliament’s Legal Committee on Appointments and Immunities. The discussions are expected to focus on drafting amendments to bring the legislation into line with the Constitutional Court’s ruling.
“Despite the fact that the central authorities are acting at lightning speed, in an inexplicably rushed manner, without giving us enough time to analyze the situation, present our position and substantiate it – even though we were invited to Parliament only yesterday evening, on Sunday, after 7:00 p.m. – we mobilized and came here today to once again demonstrate the openness, cooperation and willingness to work together that we have repeatedly expressed in recent months,” Gaidarji said.
Earlier this month, the Constitutional Court restricted several powers of the authorities in Comrat, a decision that sparked criticism from politicians in Gagauzia.
Following the ruling, President Maia Sandu invited representatives of the autonomous region to the Presidency for discussions on how the court’s decision should be implemented in national legislation.
The Constitutional Court’s ruling settled a long-running dispute over the People’s Assembly’s powers in organizing regional elections and clarified the use of the terms “Central Electoral Council,” used in Gagauz legislation, and “Central Electoral Commission,” as defined under Moldova’s national legal framework.