In Gagauzia, the position of regional head was declared vacant following Hutsul's arrest
The local parliament of the autonomous region of Gagauzia has declared the position of Bashkan—previously held by the convicted Yevgeniya Hutsul—vacant.
On August 17, deputies of the Gagauzia People’s Assembly voted to declare the position of head of the autonomous region vacant.
Before the vote, Acting Bashkan Ilya Uzun urged deputies not to rush into a decision and to wait for the final ruling in Yevgeniya Gutsul’s case by the High Court of Justice.
At the same time, the date for the election of a new Bashkan has not yet been set. Valentin Haidarzhi, Speaker of the People’s Assembly, had previously suggested that the election could be held concurrently with the elections to the autonomous region’s parliament on November 15.
The former head of Gagauzia from the “Shor” party, Yevgeniya Gutsul, was found guilty of participating in the illegal financing of a political party.
In August 2025, she was sentenced to seven years in prison. In May 2026, the appellate court upheld the verdict.
The term of the Gagauzia People’s Assembly ended back in November 2025, but new elections have not yet taken place.
This is due to a conflict between the autonomous region and Chisinau over electoral legislation.
The situation surrounding Gagauzia remains a sensitive issue for Moldova. Russia is attempting to exploit political instability in the region as a tool to destabilize the country.
This was reported by Nokta.
The Chisinau Court of Appeals upheld the sentence against Gagauzia’s Bashkan Yevgenia Gutsul, who had previously been sentenced to seven years in prison in the case involving the illegal financing of the “Shor” party.
On March 24, the Moldovan Cabinet of Ministers approved the declaration of a state of emergency in the energy sector for 60 days due to Russia’s attacks on Ukraine.
Moldova will not ignore the consequences of the Russian attack on Ukraine’s infrastructure, which damaged the Isaccea-Vulcanesti power line. Moldovan Foreign Minister Mihai Popșoi stated that once repairs to the line are completed, the government will send a diplomatic note to Russia demanding compensation.
