Promo-LEX launches election Observation Mission for regional elections in ATU Gagauzia

Today, 16 September 2026, in Comrat, the Promo-LEX Association launched its Election Observation Mission (EOM) for the regional elections scheduled for 15 November 2026 in the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia (Gagauzia). The Mission will monitor both the elections for the People’s Assembly and the election for the position of Governor (Bashkan), which, under the new legal provisions, will be held on the same day. Promo-LEX has been organising election observation missions in the Republic of Moldova since 2009, with the present Mission being its 33rd.

For the first time in Gagauzia, Promo-LEX will conduct a long-term observation mission covering the entire electoral process – from the organisation of the elections and the conduct of the electoral campaign to Election Day and the post-election period. It is worth noting that, during the 2023 election for the position of Governor (Bashkan), the Association conducted only a short-term observation mission on Election Day.

The decision to organise a full-scale observation mission for the regional elections for the first time was mainly driven by the amendments to the legal framework adopted in 2022. It was also influenced by the inclusion in the new Electoral Code of the Republic of Moldova of provisions governing the organisation and conduct of regional elections, as well as by the findings from the observation of the 2023 elections.

Restoring the functioning of decision-making institutions in Gagauzia

The elections scheduled for 15 November 2026 are taking place in a distinct institutional and electoral context, marked by the prolonged deadlock over the organisation of elections for the People’s Assembly, the vacancy of the position of Governor (Bashkan), as well as significant changes to the legal and institutional framework applicable to regional elections.

The citizens of the Republic of Moldova in Gagauzia must have their constitutional right to vote and to stand for election ensured and protected, in accordance with the law and in compliance with electoral principles. Promo-LEX considers it necessary to restore the full functioning of the governing institutions in Gagauzia through the election of a new People’s Assembly and a new Governor (Bashkan), following the period of institutional deadlock.

Impact of the Constitutional Court’s Decision of 9 July 2026

The mandate of the People’s Assembly expired on 12 November 2025, and elections for a new composition were therefore due to be held on 16 November 2025, in accordance with the provisions of the Electoral Code of the Republic of Moldova, which entered into force in 2023. However, the autonomy’s normative acts regulating the organisation and conduct of regional elections had not been aligned with the provisions of national electoral legislation. Consequently, although the People’s Assembly set 22 March and subsequently 21 June 2026 as the dates for holding the elections, the decisions adopted were suspended by the courts in the context of challenges concerning their compliance with the Electoral Code.

Following the dialogue conducted on the platform of the Presidency of the Republic of Moldova, a compromise document on the organisation of the elections was agreed upon. However, the agreed regulations were not accepted by the majority of the People’s Assembly, thus maintaining the deadlock over the organisation of the elections. Nevertheless, on 3 July 2026, the People’s Assembly set 15 November 2026 as the date for elections for its new composition.

A decisive step towards resolving this deadlock came with Constitutional Court Decision No. 8 of 9 July 2026, which established important benchmarks regarding the powers to regulate and organise regional elections, including the competences of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova and the Central Electoral Commission.

More specifically, the Court held that, with regard to the competence of the ATU of Gagauzia to establish specific arrangements for organising and conducting regional elections, under Article 72(3)(a) of the Constitution, the electoral system is regulated by Parliament through an organic law. Within the meaning of the Constitution, the case law of the Constitutional Court and the standards of the Venice Commission, the concept of the electoral system encompasses parliamentary, presidential, local and regional elections, as well as national and local referendums, covering the entire set of rules governing the expression of the electorate’s will in any democratic election.

In order to implement the Constitutional Court’s decision, on 25 August 2026 Parliament adopted Law No. 192/2026 amending the Electoral Code. The adoption of these amendments shortly before the beginning of the electoral period makes it particularly important to observe how the new provisions are applied in practice and how the new institutional and electoral architecture functions.

The amendments to the legal framework in the context of the Constitutional Court’s decision generated disagreement among some representatives of the authorities and the social and political environment in Gagauzia, as well as among some opposition parties, including parliamentary parties. The arguments raised mainly concerned limitations on the status of autonomy and the need for the amendments to be consulted with international organisations.

With regard to the organisation of elections for the People’s Assembly, it should be noted that, although the Electoral Code provides for the election of People’s Assembly deputies under a proportional electoral system, as an exception, the 15 November 2026 elections will be conducted under the single-member majority system used in the previous elections for the People’s Assembly.

As regards the election for the position of Governor (Bashkan), after the Court of Appeal Centre rejected the appeal on 28 May 2026 and upheld the seven-year prison sentence imposed on Evghenia Guțul, on 17 August 2026 the People’s Assembly declared the position of Governor (Bashkan) vacant. Since the People’s Assembly did not set a date for the election, the Central Electoral Commission, in accordance with the new legal provisions, set 15 November 2026 as the date of the election.

In this context, observation is necessary, including to assess how the new institutional and electoral framework is applied throughout the process and whether it guarantees voters in Gagauzia the opportunity to express their political will freely and in an informed manner.

Thus, the electoral framework applicable to regional elections is, in essence, integrated into the national electoral system, while the electoral mechanism previously used is maintained for the 2026 elections in order to ensure a transition to the new system.

Processes and aspects to be monitored

Within the current Mission, Promo-LEX will monitor the organisation and conduct of the elections, focusing on the following dimensions:

• the social and political context and changes to the legal framework;
• the organisation of elections and the functioning of electoral bodies;
• the examination of complaints and electoral disputes;
• the registration and campaign activities of electoral contestants;
• campaign financing and the transparency of electoral expenditures;
• the involvement of third parties, both offline and online;
• electoral advertising, including online advertising;
• the exercise of electoral rights and election-day procedures, including voting, counting and tabulation of results.

In view of the risks identified in previous elections, monitoring attempts to illegally influence voters, the use of administrative resources and the involvement of third parties in the campaign will be a priority of the Promo-LEX Election Observation Mission.

At the same time, observation will assess whether incidents identified during previous national and regional elections are recurring in the current electoral process. These include issues related to voter lists, transportation of voters, mobile voting and the presence of unauthorised persons near polling stations, as well as the extent to which these issues have been addressed.

With regard to candidate registration, the legal framework provides that, under the general rules, political parties, electoral blocs and independent candidates may participate in regional elections. According to decisions of the Central Electoral Commission, 37 of the 66 registered political parties will have the right to nominate candidates for the People’s Assembly elections and the election for the position of Governor (Bashkan).

The Promo-LEX Election Observation Mission will pay particular attention to the new elements introduced into the normative framework regulating regional elections and to the way in which they are applied in practice. These include:

• the establishment and completion of the composition of the Central Electoral Council of Gagauzia and the level I district electoral councils, in accordance with the mechanisms applicable to the unified system of electoral bodies, including with regard to the involvement of parliamentary political parties and the Central Electoral Commission;
• the mechanism for verifying candidates’ knowledge of the Romanian and Gagauz languages during the registration process.

Organisation of the Election Observation Mission and methodological principles

The Election Observation Mission for the regional elections of 15 November 2026 is being conducted by the Promo-LEX Association within the framework of the Civic Coalition for Free and Fair Elections. The Promo-LEX EOM will operate independently and impartially, based on its own observation methodology. The Mission will not support or promote any electoral contestant, and its findings will be formulated based on information collected and verified by observers.

Observation throughout the electoral period will be carried out by the central team and three long-term observers (LTOs), assigned to the three districts of the ATU of Gagauzia: Comrat, Ceadîr-Lunga and Vulcănești. Through field visits, LTOs will collect and analyse information based on direct observation, interviews and meetings with interlocutors, as well as consultations of official documents. The activities of electoral contestants will also be monitored online.

On election day, the Promo-LEX EOM will deploy 76 short-term observers (STOs), both to cover every established polling station and, through four mobile teams, to monitor events taking place outside polling stations.

All observers will be trained during seminars organised by the Mission and will sign the Promo-LEX Code of conduct for independent observers, committing to act promptly, in good faith and in a non-partisan manner. Findings will be reported through thematic forms and stored on the secure reporting platform managed by Promo-LEX.

Campaign finance monitoring is an important component of the EOM’s work and will focus on the financial resources collected and used by electoral contestants for campaign activities. The Mission also manages the web platform electorala.monitor.md, through which anyone can report activities of an electoral nature.

The Promo-LEX EOM is not a political opponent of electoral contestants or participants in the electoral process and is not an investigative body. The Mission does not establish the guilt of individuals and does not replace the competent authorities in establishing and sanctioning violations.

The electoral process will be assessed on the basis of national legislation and relevant international standards developed by the UN, OSCE, the Venice Commission, the EU and the Council of Europe. At the end of the observation process, recommendations will be formulated for public authorities, electoral bodies, electoral contestants and other relevant stakeholders.

Communication of monitoring results

The Mission aims to provide the public with an independent and impartial assessment of how the elections are organised and conducted and to identify potential problems and risks that may affect the integrity of the electoral process and the free exercise of the right to vote.

Before Election Day, the Promo-LEX EOM will publish two interim reports: one on the period of nomination and registration of electoral contestants, on 15 October 2026, and another on electoral campaign activities, on 13 November 2026. If a second round is held in either the election for Governor (Bashkan) or the People’s Assembly elections, the Mission will publish an additional interim report.

On Election Day, the Promo-LEX EOM will hold two press conferences and issue three press releases presenting the findings of observers. On the day following the elections, the Mission will present the results of the parallel vote tabulation for the People’s Assembly deputies, by electoral district, as well as for the position of Governor (Bashkan).

The final report will be presented no later than two months after the completion of the procedures related to the regional elections.

The working language of the Mission will be Romanian. At the same time, in order to ensure that the public is informed as inclusively as possible, the Election Observation Mission’s reports will be translated into Russian, while press conferences will benefit from simultaneous interpretation into Russian.

The Promo-LEX Election Observation Mission for the regional elections is financially supported by Sweden. Responsibility for the opinions expressed in this report rests with the Promo-LEX Association and does not necessarily reflect the views of the donors. In case of discrepancies between the Romanian-language version and its translation into another language, the Romanian version shall prevail.