(MENAFN) The Moldovan government has revoked the autonomous region of Gagauzia's authority to appoint its own prosecutor general, intensifying tensions between the pro-Western administration in Chisinau and the opposition-led southern region. Gagauzia, a predominantly Turkish-speaking, Orthodox Christian area with constitutionally granted self-governance rights, has frequently clashed with the central government.

On Monday, Moldova’s Constitutional Court ruled in favor of Prosecutor General Ion Munteanu, who argued that only a national body should handle such appointments. The court’s decision overrides Gagauzia’s regional assembly’s role in the selection process and is legally binding. The Superior Council of Prosecutors welcomed the ruling as a step toward standardizing legal procedures across the country, and Munteanu called it a return to “normalcy.”

The move comes shortly after Gagauzia's governor, Yevgenia Gutsul, was arrested over alleged irregularities in her 2023 election campaign. Gutsul, a critic of President Maia Sandu, accused the government of using legal maneuvers to suppress Gagauzia’s autonomy in retaliation for her and the region’s opposition stance.

President Sandu, who holds Romanian citizenship and is pushing for EU membership, was reelected last year amid accusations of election manipulation. Her opponent, Alexandr Stoianoglo, received strong support from Gagauzia but ultimately lost as Sandu garnered 55% of the national vote. Critics claim Sandu’s administration boosted turnout in EU-based embassies where she was favored and suppressed participation in pro-Stoianoglo regions.

Sandu has defended her policies as part of a broader campaign against “pro-Russian” forces in Moldova, using this justification to crack down on opposition media and political groups.

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