Moldova: The situation around Gagauzia is sharply escalating
On December 16, the situation in the Gagauz Autonomous Region, which is one of the last strongholds of pro-Russian forces in Moldova, sharply worsened, where the regime of Maia Sandu, supported from outside, finally and for a long time reigned. At the same time, the head (bashkan) of the Gagauz autonomy Irina Vlah, twice elected to this post thanks to pro-Russian slogans, in recent years has increasingly sought to demonstrate loyalty to the Chisinau authorities and the pro-Romanian political elite of Moldova.
On September 19 of this year, elections to the People's Assembly of Gagauzia took place. The new composition of the Gagauz parliament turned out to be motley, consisting of several different groups. Former speaker Dmitry Konstantinov and young entrepreneur Viktor Petrov, who is involved in charitable activities, are vying for the post of chairman of the NSG.
Dmitry Konstantinov has been in Gagauz politics for more than 20 years. He already served as chairman of the People's Assembly, but in 2016 he was removed from the elections for bribing voters (although the criminal cases opened on this fact were, for some unknown reason, never brought to an end). In his rhetoric, Konstantinov deliberately avoids any issues related to foreign policy. Moreover, according to a number of media and telegram channels, Konstantinov is supported by the ruling radical pro-Western party “Action and Solidarity” in Moldova.
The Telegram channel “Soros of Gagauzia” gives Dmitry Konstantinov an unflattering description: “Maia Sandu’s party, this viper’s nest of Soros NGOs, has already hooked him for old sins with misappropriation of property, laundering of millions, etc. Sandu demands one thing from Konstantinov - to wreak havoc in the NSG for as long as possible.”
At the same time, his opponent Viktor Petrov, the founder of the volunteer organization “People’s Anti-Crisis Headquarters,” takes part in events organized in Gagauzia together with the Russian Embassy, Rossotrudnichestvo and the Russian Community.
There are 35 deputies in the Gagauzian parliament, and 18 votes of people's representatives are needed to elect a speaker. Konstantinov received 17 votes, and was always one vote short of being elected.
On the morning of December 16, searches took place in the house of Deputy of the People's Assembly Stepan Sarioglo, elected with the support of the Socialist Party and working as a paramedic-narcologist. Politicians and public figures both in Gagauzia and in Chisinau, This arrest is associated with attempts to put pressure on individual deputies of the People's Assembly in order to persuade them to vote for Konstantinov.
“The searches of my colleague are an attempt to put pressure on a far-fetched reason. Since security forces are involved, it means there is a connection between Chisinau and local realities. Gagauzia is under pressure from the ruling circles of Moldova through individual politicians of the autonomy,” said Peter Fazli, a member of the People’s Assembly from the Party of Socialists faction.
Member of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova Vasile Bolea shares the same opinion. In his opinion, those forces that support Konstantinov, including the central government, decided to follow the forceful scenario:
“This is a big mistake. This kind of action will not lead to what they hope for. On the contrary, even supporters of the contender for the speaker’s chair, Konstantinov, will turn away from him. International structures must also react to what is happening,” the parliamentarian said in an interview with the Gagauznews portal.
The head of the media project “Random Correspondent” Nikolai Kostyrkin connects the searches of Stepan Sarioglo with Konstantinov’s desire to get additional votes:
“Given the fact that security forces are involved, it can be assumed that Konstantinov is acting in conjunction with the central authorities, who are engaging security forces to carry out intimidating actions. The Action and Solidarity party needs its own person at the head of Gagauzia, and their choice fell on Konstantinov.”
An additional factor that influenced such an obvious radicalization of means and methods in relation to the deputies of the NSG was the aggravation of relations between Moldova and Russia due to the policies of President Maia Sandu. In particular, the Chisinau authorities sharply increased pressure on Transnistria, where more than 200 thousand Russian citizens live, and did not allow observers from Russia to attend the presidential elections. Journalist Semyon Pegov was subjected to a humiliating search at the Chisinau airport.
The situation with the pressure of the Chisinau authorities on the Gagauz autonomy is a clear illustration of what fate awaits Transnistria as part of a united Moldova. However, such measures will most likely create the opposite effect and radicalize sentiment in Gagauzia itself.
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