Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia | |
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Motto: Yaşasın Gagauziya! (Gagauz) "Long live Gagauzia!" | |
Anthem: Tarafım (Gagauz) "My Land" | |
Gagauz ASSR declared | 12 November 1989 |
Gagauz Republic declared | 19 August 1990 |
Autonomy agreement reached | 23 December 1994 |
Autonomy established [1] | 14 January 1995 |
Capital and largest city | Comrat 46°19′N28°40′E / 46.317°N 28.667°E |
Official languages | |
Demonym(s) |
|
Government | Devolved parliamentary autonomous territorial unit |
• Başkan (Governor) | Evghenia Guțul |
Dmitri Constantinov | |
Legislature | People's Assembly |
Area | |
• Total | 1,832 km2 (707 sq mi) |
• Water (%) | 0.36 |
Population | |
134,535 | |
• Density | 73.43/km2 (190.2/sq mi) |
Currency | Moldovan leu (MDL) |
Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
UTC+3 (EEST) | |
Driving side | right |
Calling code | +373 |
Internet TLD | .md |
Gagauzia or Gagauz-Yeri, [lower-alpha 1] officially the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia [lower-alpha 2] (ATUG), [3] [lower-alpha 3] is an autonomous territorial unit of Moldova. Its autonomy is intended for the local Gagauz people, a Turkic-speaking, primarily Orthodox ethnic group. [4] [5]
Bessarabia, previously the eastern half of the Principality of Moldavia, was annexed by the Russian Empire in 1812. At the end of World War I, all of Bessarabia – including what was known as 'Gagauzia' – switched control to the Kingdom of Romania. A Soviet invasion and occupation began in June 1940, but the territory was again occupied by Romania from 1941 to 1944, after the latter joined the Axis powers and helped invade the USSR. After World War II, it was incorporated into the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1990, Gagauzia declared itself independent from Moldova as the Gagauz Republic during the dissolution of the Soviet Union, but was ultimately reintegrated into Moldova in 1995.
In the early 20th century, Bulgarian historian M. Dimitrov enumerated 19 different theories concerning the origin of the Gagauz people. Several decades later, the Gagauz ethnologist M. N. Guboglo listed 21 such theories. In some, the Gagauz are presented as descendants of Bulgars, Cumans-Kipchaks, [6] or a clan of Seljuk Turks led by the Turkoman dervish Sarı Saltık. Their Orthodox confession may suggest that their ancestors were already living in the Balkans prior to the Ottoman conquest in the late 14th century. Another theory suggests a Kutrigur descent. [7] In the official Gagauz museum, a plaque mentions that one of the two main theories is that they descend from the Bulgars.
Bessarabia, previously the eastern half of the Principality of Moldavia, was annexed by the Russian Empire in 1812 following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in the Russo-Turkish War of 1806–1812 (see Treaty of Bucharest (1812) ). Nogai tribes who inhabited several villages in south Bessarabia (or Budjak) were forced to leave. Between 1812 and 1846, the Russians relocated the Gagauz people from what is today eastern Bulgaria (which was then under the Ottoman Empire) to the orthodox Bessarabia, mainly in the settlements vacated by the Nogai tribes. They settled there together with Bessarabian Bulgarians in Avdarma, Comrat, Congaz, Tomai, Cișmichioi, and other former Nogai villages. Some Gagauz were also settled in the part of the Principality of Moldavia that did not come under Russian control in 1812. But, within several years, villagers moved to live with their own people in the compact area in the south of Bessarabia where their descendants inhabit in the 21st century.
With the exception of a six-day de facto independence in the winter of 1906, when a peasant uprising declared an autonomous Comrat Republic, ethnic Gagauz have always been ruled by other dominant groups: the Russian Empire (1812–1917), the Kingdom of Romania (1918–1940 and 1941–1944), the Soviet Union (1940–41 and 1944–91), and Moldova (1917–18 and 1991 to date).
Gagauz nationalism remained an intellectual movement during the 1980s, but strengthened by the end of the decade, as the Soviet Union began to embrace liberal ideals. In 1988, activists from the local intelligentsia aligned with other ethnic minorities to create a movement known as the Gagauz People. A year later, the Gagauz People held its first assembly; they passed a resolution demanding the creation of an autonomous territory in southern Moldova, with the city of Comrat as its capital.
The Gagauz national movement intensified when Moldovan (Romanian) was accepted as the official language of the Republic of Moldova in August 1989, challenging the then-dominant Russian language which was the official language of the USSR. A part of the multiethnic population of southern Moldova was concerned about the change in official languages. [8] : 104–5 They did not trust the central government in Chișinău. The Gagauz were also worried about the implications for them if Moldova reunited with Romania, as seemed likely at the time. In November 1989, the Gagauz ASSR was declared within Moldova.[ citation needed ] In August 1990, Comrat declared itself an autonomous Soviet republic separate from Moldova, [8] : 117 but the Moldovan government annulled the declaration as unconstitutional. At that time, Stepan Topal emerged as the leader of the Gagauz national movement.
Support for the Soviet Union remained high in Gagauzia, with a referendum in March 1991 returning an almost unanimous vote in favour of remaining part of the USSR. [9] Many Gagauz supported the Moscow coup attempt in August 1991, [8] : 117 and in September the same year, Transnistria declared its independence, thus further straining relations with the government of Moldova. But, when the Moldovan parliament voted on independence on 27 August 1991, six of the 12 Gagauz deputies in the Moldovan parliament voted in favour, while the other six abstained. The Moldovan government began to pay more attention to minority rights.[ citation needed ] The economic dependence of Gagauzia on the rest of Moldova, and the Moldovan army's inability to defeat Transnistria, created reasons for compromise on both sides. [8] : 117–118
In February 1994, President Mircea Snegur promised autonomy to the Gagauz, but opposed independence. He was also opposed to the suggestion that Moldova become a federal state made up of three republics: Moldova, Gagauzia, and Transnistria.
In 1994, the Parliament of Moldova awarded to "the people of Gagauzia" (through the adoption of the new Constitution of Moldova) the right of "external self-determination". On 23 December 1994, the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova accepted the "Law on the Special Legal Status of Gagauzia" (Gagauz: Gagauz Yeri). The law entered into force on 14 January 1995, resolving the dispute peacefully. 23 December is now a Gagauz holiday. Gagauzia is now a "national-territorial autonomous unit" with three official languages: Romanian, Gagauz, and Russian.
Communes with over 50% ethnic Gagauz held referendums where a simple majority was required to join the autonomous region. Communes with fewer Gagauz could have referendums if they were requested by one-third of the population. Following the 5 March 1995 referendum, three towns and 26 communes were included in the Autonomous Gagauz Territory. [8] : 118 Gheorghe Tabunșcic was elected to serve as the Governor (Romanian: Guvernator, Gagauz: Başkan) of Gagauzia for a four-year term, as were the deputies of the local parliament, "The People's Assembly" (Gagauz: "Halk Topluşu"), with Petru Pașalî as chairman.
Dumitru Croitor won the 1999 governor elections and began to assert the rights granted to the governor by the 1994 agreement. The central authorities of Moldova proved unwilling to accept the results, initiating a lengthy stand-off between the autonomy and Chișinău. Finally, Croitor resigned in 2002 due to the pressure from the Moldovan government, which accused him of abuse of authority, relations with the separatist authorities of Transnistria, and other charges.
The central electoral commission of Gagauzia did not register Croitor as a candidate for the post of the governor in the subsequent elections, and Tabunșcic was elected in what was described as unfair elections. [10] [11] Mihail Formuzal served as the governor of Gagauzia from 2006 until 2015. That year Irina Vlah was elected to the position, with 51% of the vote. [12]
On 2 February 2014, Gagauzia held a referendum. An overwhelming majority of voters opted for closer ties with Russia over EU integration. They also said they preferred the independence of Gagauzia if Moldova chooses to enter the EU. [13] [14]
On 23 March 2015, Irina Vlah was elected as the new governor after a strongly pro-Russian campaign, dominated by the quest for closer ties with the Russian Federation. [15] [16]
Gagauzia comprises four enclaves, and is divided into three districts. The main, central enclave includes the cities Comrat and Ceadîr-Lunga and is divided into two districts with those cities serving as administrative centers. The second largest enclave is located around the city of Vulcănești, while two smaller enclaves are the villages of Copceac and Carbalia. The village of Carbalia falls under administration of Vulcănești, while Copceac is part of the Ceadîr-Lunga district.
Gagauzia consists of one municipality, two cities, and 23 communes containing a total of 32 localities. [17]
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The autonomy of Gagauzia is guaranteed by the Moldovan constitution and regulated by the 1994 Gagauz Autonomy Act. If Moldova decided to unite with Romania, Gagauzia would have the right of self-determination. [18] [19] The Gagauz People's Assembly (Gagauz: Halk Topluşu ; Romanian: Adunarea Populară) has a mandate for lawmaking powers within its own jurisdiction. This includes laws on education, culture, local development, budgetary and taxation issues, social security, and questions of territorial administration. The People's Assembly also has two special powers: it may participate in the formulation of Moldova's internal and foreign policy; and, should central regulations interfere with the jurisdiction of Gagauz-Yeri, it has the right of appeal to Moldova's Constitutional Court.
The highest official of Gagauzia, who heads the executive power structure, is the Governor of Gagauzia (Gagauz: Başkan; Romanian: Guvernatorul Găgăuziei). The governor is elected by popular suffrage for a four-year term, and has power over all public administrative bodies of Gagauzia. The governor is also a member of the Government of the Republic of Moldova. Eligibility for governorship requires fluency in the Gagauz language, Moldovan citizenship, and a minimum age of 35 years.
Permanent executive power in Gagauz Yeri is exercised by the Executive Committee (Bakannik Komiteti / Comitetul Executiv). Its members are appointed by the governor, or by a simple majority vote in the Assembly at its first session. The Committee ensures the application of the laws of the Republic of Moldova and those of the Assembly of Gagauz-Yeri.
As part of its autonomy, Gagauzia has its own police force. [20]
Gagauz Halkı is a former Gagauz separatist political party, now outlawed.
Elections for the local governor and parliament as well as referendums take place in the autonomous region.
The population also votes in the national legislatives elections.
Parties | 1995 | 1999 | 2003 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2021 | |
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Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova (PSRM) | – | – | – | – | 1 | 6 | 9 | |
Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM) | 8 | 4 | 16 | 10 | 7 | – | ||
We Build Europe at Home Party (PACE) | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | |
Democratic Party of Moldova (PDM) | – | 1 | – | 2 | – | 1 | – | |
Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova (PLDM) | – | – | – | – | 2 | – | – | |
Socio-Political Movement "Equality" | – | – | 1 | 2 | – | – | – | |
Socialist Party of Moldova (PSM) | – | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | – | |
Social Democratic Union "Ant-Hope" (UFS) | – | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | |
People's Democratic Party of Moldova (PDPM) | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | |
People's Party "Homeland" (PPV) | 5 | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
Democratic Agrarian Party of Moldova (PDAM) | 5 | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
People's Party of the Gagauz (PPG) | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
Trade unions | 11 | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
Independents | 5 | 25 | 17 | 21 | 25 | 28 | 25 | |
The base of Gagauzia's economy is agriculture, particularly viticulture. The main export products are wine, sunflower oil, non-alcoholic beverages, wool, leather, and textiles. There are 12 wineries, processing more than 400,000 tonnes annually. There are also two oil factories, two carpet factories, one meat factory, and one non-alcoholic beverage factory.
There are 451 kilometres (280 mi) of roads in Gagauzia, of which 82% are paved.
According to the 2014 census, Gagauzia had a population of 134,132, of which 36.2% urban and 63.8% rural population.
According to the 2014 census results, the ethnic breakdown in Gagauzia was: [22]
Ethnic group | Population | Percent of total |
---|---|---|
Gagauz | 112,403 | 83.8% |
Bulgarians | 6,573 | 4.9% |
Moldovans | 6,304 | 4.7% |
Russians | 4,292 | 3.2% |
Ukrainians | 3,353 | 2.5% |
Others | 1,207 | 0.9% |
There is an ongoing identity controversy over whether Romanians and Moldovans are the same ethnic group. At the census, every citizen could only declare one nationality; consequently, one could not declare oneself both Moldovan and Romanian.
Gagauzia has 55 schools, the Comrat Pedagogical College (high school plus two years over high school), and Comrat State University (Komrat Devlet Universiteti [23] ).
Despite declaring Gagauz as the national language of the autonomous region, the local authorities do not provide any full Gagauz-teaching school; most of those are Russian-language as opposed to inner Moldovan full Romanian language education. [24]
Turkey financed the creation of a Turkish cultural centre (Türk İşbirliği Ve Kalkınma İdaresi Başkanlığı) and a Turkish library (Atatürk Kütüphanesi). In the village of Beșalma, there is a Gagauz historical and ethnographical museum established by Dimitriy Kara Çöban.[ citation needed ]
In 2013, Ludmila Tukan was selected to represent Gagauzia in the territory's debut at the Turkvision Song Contest, with the song Вернись любовь ("Come back love"). [25] [26] [27]
Not being a sovereign nation, Gagauzia's Football team cannot be admitted to FIFA. However, in 2006 Gagauzia did participate in the ELF Cup, held in North Cyprus, where it competed with teams from other regions around the world which fall short of full national sovereignty.
Gagauzia has various football clubs. FC Olimp Comrat and Univer-Oguzsport are based in Comrat and FC Saxan Gagauz Yeri is based in Ceadîr-Lunga and they play their matches in Ceadîr-Lunga Stadium.
The history of Moldova can be traced to the 1350s, when the Principality of Moldavia, the medieval precursor of modern Moldova and Romania, was founded. The principality was a vassal of the Ottoman Empire from 1538 until the 19th century. In 1812, following one of several Russian–Turkish wars, the eastern half of the principality, Bessarabia, was annexed by the Russian Empire. In 1918, Bessarabia briefly became independent as the Moldavian Democratic Republic and, following the decision of the Parliament, united with Romania. During the Second World War it was occupied by the Soviet Union which reclaimed it from Romania. It joined the Union in 1940 as the Moldavian SSR, until the dissolution of the USSR. In 1991 the country declared independence as the Republic of Moldova.
The Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic or Moldavian SSR, also known as the Moldovan Soviet Socialist Republic, Moldovan SSR, Soviet Moldavia, Soviet Moldova, or simply Moldavia or Moldova, was one of the 15 republics of the Soviet Union which existed from 1940 to 1991. The republic was formed on 2 August 1940 from parts of Bessarabia, a region annexed from Romania on 28 June of that year, and parts of the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, an autonomous Soviet republic within the Ukrainian SSR.
The Gagauz are a Turkic ethnic group native to southern Moldova and southwestern Ukraine (Budjak). Gagauz are mostly Eastern Orthodox Christians. The term Gagauz is also often used as a collective naming of Turkic people living in the Balkans, speaking the Gagauz language, a language separated from Balkan Gagauz Turkish.
Comrat is a city and municipality in Moldova and the capital of the autonomous region of Gagauzia. It is located in the south of the country, on the Ialpug River. In 2014, Comrat's population was 20,113, of which the vast majority are Gagauzians.
Moldova is divided administratively into two levels:
Gagauz is a Turkic language spoken by the Gagauz people of Moldova, Ukraine, Russia and Turkey and it is an official language of the Autonomous Region of Gagauzia in Moldova. Gagauz belongs to the Oghuz branch of Turkic languages, alongside Azerbaijani, Turkmen, and Turkish. Gagauz is a distinct language from Balkan Gagauz Turkish to some degree.
The Bessarabian Bulgarians are a Bulgarian minority group of the historical region of Bessarabia, inhabiting parts of present-day Ukraine and Moldova.
Ceadîr-Lunga is a city and municipality in Gagauzia, Moldova.
Stepan Mikhailovich Topal was a Moldovan politician of Gagauz ancestry. From 1990 to 1995 he served as the only leader and President of the Gagauz Republic; after reintegration into Moldova he served until 1995 as Governor (başkan) of Gagauzia.
The flag of Gagauzia has served as an official symbol of the Gagauz Territorial Unit since 1995, and is recognized as a regional symbol by Moldova. Popularly known as the "Sky Flag", it is a triband of blue-white-red, with a wider blue stripe, charged with three yellow stars arranged in triangular pattern. The overall symbolism is debated, but the stars may represent the three Gagauz municipalities within Moldova. The tricolor is reminiscent of the Russian flag, which is also popular in Gagauzia; the issue has created friction between Gagauz and Moldovan politicians.
The history of Gagauzia dates back to ancient times. The larger area, known as Bessarabia, previously the eastern half of the Principality of Moldavia, was annexed by the Russian Empire in 1812. The Gagauz have been ruled by the Russian Empire (1812–1917), Romania, the Soviet Union, and Moldova.
Russians in Moldova form the second largest ethnic minority in the country. According to the Moldovan Census (2004) and a separate 2004 Census in Transnistria, about 370,000 persons identified themselves as ethnic Russians in Moldova.
The Gagauz Republic was a self-proclaimed unrecognised political entity first declared in 1989 that separated from Moldova in 1990 during the dissolution of the Soviet Union but later peacefully joined Moldova after being de facto independent from 1991 to 1995.
Mihail Ciachir was a protoiereus and educator in the Gagauz language, and first publisher of Gagauz books in the former Russian Empire.
Mihail Formuzal is a Moldovan politician of Gagauz ethnicity, who was the governor of the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia from December 2006 to March 2015.
Irina Vlah is a Moldovan Gagauzian politician, who served as Head of the autonomous region of Gagauzia since 2015 to 2023. Previously, she served as member of the Moldovan Parliament from 2005 to 2015.
The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia, in Moldova, in April 2020.
The Comrat Republic was an autonomous republic established in the village of Comrat, in the Bessarabia Governorate, during the Russian Revolution of 1905 in protest of the tsarist regime of the Russian Empire. It was created after a mutiny by Andrey Galatsan, a socialist revolutionary, with the support of the local Gagauz population. It lasted six days and is today viewed positively in Gagauzia as a premonition of the future Gagauz territorial autonomy.
Natalia Dmitrievna Șoșeva is a Moldovan pharmaceutical executive and politician who served in the People's Assembly of Gagauzia from 2003 until 2021. An independent politician, she represented the town of Joltai. Since 2022, Șoșeva has been the interim president of the Ceadîr-Lunga District.
The Gagauzia conflict was a conflict between the Moldavian SSR and posteriorly the independent Republic of Moldova and their Gagauz population, which sought further autonomy within Moldova. It culminated in the declaration of the Gagauz Republic, separate from Moldavia, with the aim of remaining within the Soviet Union; however, following the latter's dissolution, the Gagauz Republic became a de facto independent state. It was formally reintegrated into Moldova in 1995, when Gagauzia was officially recognized as an autonomous territorial unit within the country.
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: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)The Gagauz, a Turkic-Orthodox Christian people, have lived in the Balkans for hundreds of years, managing to preserve their language and culture.