“Vazrazhdane“ issued a declaration in connection with the limitation of the powers of the autonomous territorial unit of Gagauzia. MP Angel Georgiev said that the declaration was dictated by the development of events in the Republic of Moldova, which affect not only the internal political life of the country, but also the rights “of a Bulgarian autonomous community, with which Bulgaria has deep historical, cultural, spiritual and, most importantly, blood ties“.
When an established model of self-government, guaranteed by law, is questioned, and is important for preserving the identity of the Bulgarian-Gagauz community, the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria cannot remain indifferent, he stressed the deputy.
He explained that on July 9 this year, the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Moldova, by its decision, declared unconstitutional key provisions of the law related to the special legal status of Gagauzia. With this decision, the autonomous territorial administrative unit was deprived of its right to independently form its own electoral body, and the National Assembly of Gagauzia lost its authority to participate in the appointment of the heads of the police, the information and security service and the administration of justice in the region, Angel Georgiev pointed out.
He added that the autonomy's lawyer requested a stay of the case and a request from the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe for an advisory opinion on the standards of territorial autonomy, and the Deputy Chairman of the National Assembly of Gagauzia requested to wait for another pending case related to the Electoral Code, both requests being rejected by the court.
The decision is final and cannot be appealed. of appeal, namely this haste, combined with the refusal to consult with the Venice Commission, raises legitimate concerns, because under the pretext of bringing it into line with the Constitution, a constitutionally guaranteed special status is in practice being dismantled, point out “Vazrazhdane“.
“InGagauzia lives a numerous historical community of Bulgarians Gagauz, closely linked to Bulgarian culture, we cannot remain indifferent when the rights of self-government of this community of ours are being unilaterally and extra-parliamentarily reviewed”, says the declaration.
It condemns the decision of the Constitutional Court of Moldova as an act that “violates the spirit and purpose of the law on the special status of Gagauzia, adopted precisely to guarantee regional self-government, and not to be circumvented through judicial interpretation“.
We call on the competent authorities of Moldova to seek the opinion of the Venice Commission before taking further steps.
We urge the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry to carefully monitor the situation and take the necessary diplomatic actions to protect the interests of our compatriots, both in Gagauzia and in the entire Republic of Moldova, read Angel Georgiev.