Republic of Moldova - May 2023

Shor Party candidate Evghenia Gutul was elected Bashkan (governor) of the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia with 52 per cent of the vote in a run-off election on 14 May. Gutul ran on a platform of promoting closer ties to Russia and her election has raised concerns of increasing tensions between the central government and the Gagauz autonomous territory, where the overwhelming majority of the population are members of the Turkic-speaking Gagauz ethnic group. However, support for Gutul has been attributed to promises to bring economic development, and all eight candidates for office were openly pro-Russian. The election was marked by disputes between the central election commissions of Moldova and Gagauzia, and protests in the Gagauz capital of Comrat were sparked when anti-corruption officials seized voter lists as part of an electoral fraud investigation. Moldovan courts upheld the results of the election, despite citing electoral violations and evidence of bribery. Turnout for the first and second round were 61 per cent and 58 per cent, respectively, although observers alleged that voter rolls had been tampered with to push the official turnout above the necessary 50 per cent to validate the election.

Sources: Newsmaker (1), Newsmaker (2), Newsmaker (3), Institute for War and Peace Reporting

Moldovan member of parliament and vice-chair of the Shor Party, Marina Tauber was arrested at Chisinau Airport as she attempted to leave the country on 1 May. Tauber had led a series of anti-government protests since September 2023, which the Moldovan government and the European Union say is part of the exiled oligarch Ilan Shor’s attempts to destabilize the country and push it back into Russia’s diplomatic orbit. Tauber is accused of helping to finance these efforts. The Moldovan government has also said it stopped a Russian-backed coup attempt in February 2023 but has not provided specific details. On 31 May, Tauber, Shor, and three others were placed under EU Council sanctions for their role in organizing the wave of protests.

Sources: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (1), Deutsche Welle, Newsmaker, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (2), European Union