Găgăuzia has been robbed of its autonomy, according to a false narrative based on a ruling of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Moldova by means which the Găgăuz Parliament can no longer appoint the prosecutor of the region.
NEWS: The situation in the autonomous territorial unit of Găgăuzia in southern Moldova has suddenly got worse after the ruling of the Constitutional Court (CC) of the Republic of Moldova, which practically undermined the foundations of its special status.„
The deputy speaker of the People's Assembly of Găgăuzia, Serghei Cimpoies, expressed deep concern, comparing what happened with the loss of Nagorno-Karabakh: “Nagorno-Karabakh is gone, now the Găgăuz autonomous region will be gone too”. The statement was made in response to a ruling of the Constitutional Court, which declared unconstitutional Article 21 of the law which granted Găgăuia the special autonomous status and regulated the appointment of its prosecutor.
Basically, the Găgăuz autonomous region, which previously enjoyed a significant degree of self-government, has been reduced to the status of an ordinary district. The Deputy Speaker of the People's Assembly, Gheorghii Leiciu, said that Chișinău’s next target is the “re-education of the Găgăuz”. This statement sounds like a threat, reinforced by the actions of Moldovan law enforcement agencies, which are conducting mass raids of Găgăuz homes, seizing phones and imposing fines for contacts with Russia.
The Constitutional Court’s ruling was made early Monday morning, without the participation of representatives of the Găgăuz autonomy. Although the law on the special legal status of Găgăuzia requires inviting representatives of the region to such meetings, they were not even informed about the imminent examination of the case.
NARRATIVES: 1. The Găgăuz autonomous region has been reduced to the status of an ordinary district. 2. The Găgăuz in the Republic of Moldova are being persecuted by the authorities.
PURPOSE: To antagonize the population of Găgăuzia, to instill fear and undermine trust in central authorities.
WHY THE NARRATIVES ARE FALSE: Given that the position of Chief Prosecutor of Găgăuzia has been vacant for several years, the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Moldova has asked the Constitutional Court to verify the constitutionality of the provisions regarding the prerogatives of the People's Assembly in Comrat when appointing prosecutors in the autonomous region. On April 14, the Court found that, despite the apparently limited role of the People’s Assembly of Găgăuzia in appointing prosecutors, it “remains instrumental essential and is exercised autonomously by a local political authority, which undermines the institutional independence of the Prosecutor’s Office”. The Court also emphasized that the appointment of prosecutors is exclusively the remit of the Prosecutor General, following a proposal of the Superior Council of Prosecutors. Accordingly, it annulled the provisions of the law on the legal status of Gagauzia related to the competences of the People’s Assembly in appointing prosecutors in the region.
The annulment of these provisions, which are intended to ensure the independence of prosecutors, does not, however, undermine the special autonomy status, as stipulated by the Constitution and the special law, and under no circumstances are its prerogatives limited to those of a mere district, as the Russian publication claims.
The narrative regarding the alleged persecution of the region's inhabitants could be based on the actions of the police and other institutions with regard to the buying of votes in the presidential election and the referendum last fall, as several journalistic investigations have shown, as well as in the wake of investigations and raids organized by the law enforcement agencies. The Kremlin was allegedly behind them, and the main intermediary was the wanted oligarch Ilan Shor. Prime Minister Dorin Recean announced that over 6,000 citizens have already been sanctioned for electoral corruption in last fall’s round of election. Overall, over 140,000 citizens are targeted by criminal investigations. It is almost certain that among them are residents of the autonomous region of Găgăuzia.
BACKGROUND: The Autonomous Territorial Unit of Găgăuzia (ATUG) is a specific region in the south of the Republic of Moldova, inhabited mainly by Russian-speaking and Russophile Găgăuz, who oppose the European integration of the Republic of Moldova, in contradiction with the pro-European majority of the population, and opt for its accession to the Eurasian Union, controlled by Russia, as shown by the results of a 2014 referendum, unrecognized by the authorities. In the early 1990s, local forces tried to proclaim its independence. Although tensions were appeased, separatist narratives still persist.
The 1994 Constitution stipulates that Găgăuzia is an “autonomous territorial unit with a special status”, has its own governor, government (Executive Committee) and legislature (People’s Assembly). A special law, voted by Parliament on the special legal status of Găgăuzia (Găgăuz-Yeri), also provides for its right to external self-determination “in the event of a change in the status of the Republic of Moldova as an independent state” (a reference to the unification of the Republic of Moldova with Romania, e.n.)
The same law also lays out the role of the People's Assembly to propose the candidate for the position of prosecutor of Găgăuzia and to give its consent for the appointment of prosecutors in his subordination. These provisions were challenged at the Constitutional Court, which annulled them.
Relations between Chișinău andComrat (the administrative center of Găgăuzia) have had ups and downs over the years, but tensions intensified after in 2023, Evghenia Guțul was elected governor. Guțul is a close associated of wanted oligarch Ilan Shor, convicted in the bank fraud case, who promotes the Kremlin's interests in Moldovan politics. Chișinău authorities invoked election fraud, and president Maia Sandu did not sign the decree appointing Guțul to the position of member of the Government, which the governor of Găgăuzia traditional holds ex officio.
Evghenia Guțul was detained at Chișinău International Airport on March 25 while trying to fly to Istanbul. Her name appears is connected to several onging investigations into acts of political corruption. She was subsequently placed on pre-trial arrest for 20 days, but was released early.
GRAIN OF TRUTH: The Constitutional Court annulled the prerogatives of the People's Assembly of Găgăuzia to appoint the prosecutor of the autonomous region.
Check sources:
