CHISINAU. Feb 14 (Interfax) - Gagauzia politicians have been expelled from the Moldovan Democratic Party for supporting the recent referendum in the autonomous district, Democratic Party leader Marian Lupu told reporters on Friday.
The National Political Council of the Moldovan Democratic Party unanimously voted for the expulsion of Gagauzia People's Assembly Chairman Dmitrii Constantinov and deputies Ilia Uzun, Ivan Topal and Zahar Mitul, he said.
"We had spoken with them more than once and explained the danger of that referendum, but they took part in a repeat vote on the referendum just the same. Besides, these deputies had breached party discipline. Each party has internal democracy but there are also responsibilities. The Moldovan Democratic Party still has twelve deputies in the Gagauzia People's Assembly [which has 35 deputies in all], and this is not a loss for the party at a time when the preservation of statehood is at stake. Quite the opposite, the party ranks will be consolidated," Lupu said.
In his opinion, "the referendum in Gagauzia is a provocation thrust from the outside."
"Clearly, those behind this move do not want our country to sign an association agreement with the European Union," Lupu said.
A referendum on the Moldovan foreign policy vector was held in the Gagauzia autonomous district of Moldova on February 2. More than 98% of people voted for Moldova's integration into the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.
The Moldovan government pronounced the referendum unconstitutional; it said local authorities had no right to influence the foreign policy of the country. The Moldovan Prosecutor General's Office opened a criminal case against certain referendum organizers and the Moldovan police searched their homes.