The electoral race for the position of governor is about to begin in Gagauzia. The submission of documents ended on October 6th. Eight contenders have announced their intention to run, but not all of them have been registered yet, according to newsmaker.md. Therefore, their number could decrease. The publication presented the profile of potential governors of the region.
Alexandr Stoianoglo
One of the main favorites for the position of governor is Alexandr Stoianoglo, former attorney general and presidential candidate, currently a deputy of the “Alternative” faction. His entry into the race has sparked increased interest. In the 2024 presidential elections, Stoianoglo was the main candidate of the opposition and made it to the second round, in which he obtained 44.67% of the votes. In the polling stations across the country, he accumulated more votes than his rival, the current president Maia Sandu.
In the presidential elections, Stoianoglo ran on behalf of the Socialist Party (PSRM), while in those for the position of governor, he is running as an independent. In an interview for NM, he stated that the socialists offered him support, but he refused it.
In the past, Stoianoglo ran for the position of governor twice: in 2006, he received 10.58% of the votes, and in 2015 – 4.98%.
Currently, Stoianoglo is a deputy, elected on the lists of the “Alternative” bloc. The bloc included the MAN party, led by the mayor of the capital, Ion Ceban, PDCM, led by former Prime Minister Ion Chicu, “Civic Congress”, represented by Mark Tkaciuk, and the team of Alexandr Stoianoglo.
As a deputy and opposition politician, Stoianoglo has repeatedly criticized the ruling party PAS. Recently, the PAS leader, Igor Grosu, highlighted his participation in the working group for resolving the electoral crisis in Gagauzia. Grosu also stated that PAS will not put forward a candidate for the position of governor, as a candidate “from the Parliament” is sufficient. Grosu’s statements and Stoianoglo’s expressed desire to restore dialogue between Comrat and Chisinau have fueled rumors that he might be the “secret candidate” of PAS.
Stoianoglo categorically denies these statements. In an interview for NM, he recalled his arrest in 2021 and his removal from the position of Attorney General, for which he directly accuses PAS. He clarified that he is running in the election as an independent candidate to avoid obligations to any party.
Fiodor Gagauz
The main competitor of Alexandr Stoianoglo could be the candidate of the Socialist Party, Fiodor Gagauz. The Socialists traditionally enjoy strong support in the autonomy. In the 2025 parliamentary elections, over 80% of the Gagauz voters voted for the “Patriotic Bloc”, led by the socialists. In the 2023 elections for the position of governor, the PSRM candidate, Grigore Uzun, made it to the second round, but lost to Evghenia Guțul, supported by Ilan Șor.
Initially, Dodon announced that the socialists would nominate Uzun again. However, he withdrew his candidacy after the amendment of the Electoral Code, which requires candidates for the position of governor to know the Romanian language.
Fiodor Gagauz declared to NewsMaker that the socialists could nominate him as a candidate.
Fiodor Gagauz served as a deputy in the Parliament on behalf of the PSRM between 2014 and 2025, without being a member of the party. Previously, between 2012 and 2014, he was a deputy in the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia (APG). He also worked in the structures of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and between 1999 and 2001 he led the General Directorate of Internal Affairs of Gagauzia.
Serghei Anastasov
The mayor of Comrat, Serghei Anastasov, known for his support of resuming dialogue with Chișinău, is also participating in the race. In the last three years, the autonomy has been led by politicians close to Șor, who have had no contact with the central authorities of Moldova. Chișinău did not recognize the bashkan Evghenia Guțul and refused to meet with her. However, Anastasov continued to meet with representatives of the central authorities, including President Maia Sandu. During her rare visits to the autonomy, Sandu met with the mayors, including Anastasov, and not with the leadership of Găgăuzia.
Anastasov maintains connections with European officials as well. Despite the diplomatic isolation of the autonomy in the last three years, he has continued to meet with foreign partners, including the European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, during her visit to Gagauzia. The meeting draws attention in the context where the autonomy is the region of Moldova with the most Eurosceptic attitude.
Serghei Anastasov has been the mayor of Comrat, the administrative center of Gagauzia, since 2015, when he won the elections as a member of the “Our Party”, led by Renato Usatîi. In 2019, he ran as a candidate of the Socialist Party, and in 2023 – already as an independent candidate, obtaining 58.52% of the votes.
Ivanna Koksal
Fiodor Gagauz is not the only “socialist” in this election campaign. Former deputy Ivanna Koksal is running for the position of governor as an independent. In 2019 and 2021, she was elected to Parliament on the PSRM lists. After the socialists officially announced their candidate, Koksal criticized the party leadership for presenting her as a possible candidate without her prior consent, and later decided to support Fiodor Gagauz.
Ivanna Koksal is a journalist, she was the editor-in-chief of the public radio and television company in Gagauzia, GRT. Additionally, she was a deputy in the People’s Assembly and an advisor to the former governor Mihail Formuzal on social and media issues.
She stated that she decided to run for the position of governor in order to “build the future of the region.”
Ivan Cîlcic
The Gagauz People’s Party, led by Nicolai Dudoglo, is the only regional party that will participate in the elections for the position of governor. The party has nominated Dudoglo’s deputy, Ivan Cîlcic, as its candidate. Dudoglo will run for the position of governor in the Gagauz People’s Assembly, which will be elected on the same day as the governor. Previously, he ran for the position of governor four times, without success.
Cîlcic has not held public offices, but has participated in elections. In 2019, he ran for parliamentary elections in the Comrat constituency, on behalf of the Communist Party, within the mixed electoral system. In 2021, he ran as an independent in the Gagauz People’s Assembly. He was not elected in either of the two ballots. The Gagauz People’s Party presents him as the “people’s candidate”.
Oleg Garizan
Oleg Garizan, the mayor of the village of Copceac, one of the largest in Gagauzia, is also participating in the race. He was first elected mayor in 1999, and has been re-elected six times since. In the 27 years since then, he took a five-year break from leading the locality: between 2009 and 2014, when he served as a deputy in Parliament on behalf of the Communist Party.
In the current campaign, Garizan is running as an independent candidate. He previously ran for the position of governor in 2015, but garnered just over 5%.
Cornel Dudnic
The position of governor is also being contested by former deputy Cornel Dudnic. He made it to Parliament in 2015, on the lists of the Democratic Party (PDM), which was led by Vladimir Plahotniuc in 2016.
Although he was part of a pro-European party, Dudnic had pro-Russian views. In February 2018, at an extended meeting of the local authorities in Gagauzia and civic activists, organized in Tomai in defense of the “Moldovan statehood”, he stated that, together with Nicolai Dudoglo, he refused to vote for a declaration that condemned Russia’s actions and called for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Transnistria, contrary to the position of the PDM faction.
At the same time, Dudnic stated that, in the event of unification, he is ready to defend autonomy with a weapon in his hands: “I promise that I will be the first to take an automatic and go to defend Gagauz autonomy [in the event of unification].” Dudnic’s statement was widely discussed on social networks, and the PDM leadership gave him a warning.
Petr Vlah
The former deputy Petr Vlah is also running for the position of governor. He was elected to Parliament in 2010, on the lists of the Liberal Democratic Party (PLDM), then led by Vlad Filat. He was also a deputy in the Gagauz People’s Assembly and a municipal councilor in Comrat. After leaving the PLDM, he joined the unionist party AUR, which he later left.
Initially, Vlah intended to run as an independent. Later, he announced that he would not submit the subscription lists, citing “dirty challenges”. Independent candidates must gather the signatures of at least 1% of voters to advance their candidacy. Vlah clarified that he is not giving up on the intention to run, but merely changing his tactics. Later, he announced that he would participate in the elections on behalf of the “New Historical Option” (NOI) party.