Gagauzia rejects Moldova court ruling curbing autonomous powers

Gagauzia's regional parliament has rejected a ruling by Moldova's Constitutional Court that invalidated several provisions of the law governing the autonomous region's special status, calling the decision an erosion of its constitutionally guaranteed powers, Russian media reports.

In a statement adopted during an extraordinary session on Friday (July 10), the People's Assembly of Gagauzia said it "categorically" disagreed with the court's findings and vowed to use all legal and democratic means available under Moldova's Constitution, national legislation and international law to defend the autonomy's status, institutional powers and the rights of its residents.

Lawmakers said they remained committed to constitutional order, peaceful dialogue and stability in Moldova, but argued that the powers affected by the ruling were not privileges.

Instead, they described them as legal guarantees forming part of the political compromise that enabled the peaceful establishment of Gagauzia's autonomous status.

The assembly also pointed to Article 25 of the law on Gagauzia's special legal status, which designates the Moldovan state as the guarantor of the autonomy's full and unconditional exercise of its powers, expressing concern that the court's decision undermines that commitment.

The Constitutional Court ruled on July 9, following a request from the Ministry of Justice, that several provisions of the law on Gagauzia's special legal status were unconstitutional, including measures related to the autonomy's role in electoral processes.

The ruling has intensified tensions between Moldova's central authorities and the leadership of the autonomous region.

By Aghakazim Guliyev