CHISINAU, May 24. The head of Gagauzia, Evgenia Gutsul, told reporters, that she was not allowed to attend a meeting of the Regional Council under the Government of Moldova for 15 minutes, at which infrastructure projects for autonomy were discussed.
The head of Gagauzia arrived in Chisinau on Friday to take part in a discussion of infrastructure projects that are included in the activity plan of the government of the republic. However, she was stopped by security in the building, blocking her way. After negotiations with security service representatives, Hutsul was finally allowed through.
«I was not allowed into the meeting, although government security officers escorted me to the third floor. The meeting had already been going on for 15 minutes. I was not allowed (into the meeting room), we waited in the corridor. The procedure was violated. Realizing that the violations would continue, I left the building. I have other equally important matters for the autonomy,” Hutsul told reporters leaving the government building.
She emphasized that she would protest today's meeting of the Regional Council.
Last spring, elections for the head of the autonomy were held in Gagauzia; the representative of the opposition Shor party, Hutsul, won. The Moldovan authorities declared the party unconstitutional, accusing it of illegal financing and opening criminal cases against its leaders. In addition, Chisinau initiated verification of the election results themselves. On July 19, the inauguration of Hutsul took place, but none of the representatives of the republic’s authorities attended the ceremony. Moldovan President Sandu has still not signed a decree approving Hutsul as a member of the government, although this is required by the country’s legislation.
Gagauzia is an autonomy in the south of Moldova, which traditionally advocates rapprochement with Russia, while official Chisinau has declared a course towards European integration. In February 2014, a referendum was held in Gagauzia on the issue of determining the vector of Moldova’s foreign policy. More than 98% of its participants were in favor of integrating the republic into the Customs Union.