CHISINAU, April 22. /TASS/. Moldovan President Maia Sandu and her ruling Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) are seeking to undermine the upcoming elections to the People's Assembly of Gagauzia, fearing the participation of opposition forces, according to Ilia Uzun, First Deputy Chairman of Gagauzia's Executive Committee.

"Now everything is becoming clear: the central authorities initially delayed the process, only to later impose their own criteria and block those whose political views do not align with PAS from participating in the elections," Uzun stated.

The People's Assembly of Gagauzia has called on Moldovan authorities to refrain from interfering with the regional parliamentary elections scheduled for June 21.

Earlier, the Gagauzian Parliament received a motion from the State Chancellery aiming to annul three decisions made by the People's Assembly related to the election date, the formation of the Central Electoral Commission of Gagauzia, and the legal framework governing the elections. The Assembly rejected this motion, but subsequently, the Court of Appeals, acting on a claim from the State Chancellery, suspended these decisions.

Gagauzia's head, Evghenia Gutsul - who is currently under arrest - urged the region's authorities to defend their right to hold elections, which Chisinau is challenging. Gutsul has accused President Maia Sandu and PAS of attempting to exert political control over Gagauzia, stripping the autonomous region of its powers and independence.

Last August, a Moldovan court sentenced Gutsul to seven years in prison on charges related to irregularities in funding her political party. Gutsul has denied the charges, and her legal team has filed an appeal, which remains pending. Relations between Gutsul and Moldova's leadership soured further in 2023 after her electoral victory in Gagauzia and her public statements advocating for stronger ties with Russia, as well as her criticism of Chisinau's confrontational policies toward Moscow.