| Post: | Governor |
| Body: | Gagauzia |
| Insignia: | Coat of arms of Gagauzia.svg |
| Insigniasize: | 100px |
| Insigniacaption: | Coat of arms of Gagauzia |
| Incumbent: | Evghenia Guțul |
| Incumbentsince: | 19 July 2023 |
| Style: | Her Excellency |
| Residence: | Comrat |
| Appointer: | Universal suffrage election (as governor) President of Moldova (as member of cabinet)[1] |
| Termlength: | Four years, renewable once (consecutively) |
| Formation: | 14 January 1995 |
| Inaugural: | Gheorghe Tabunșcic |
| Website: | gagauzia.md |
| Native Name: | Gagauz Yeri başkanı Romanian; Moldavian; Moldovan: Guvernator al UTA Găgăuzia Russian: Башкан Гагаузии |
| Member Of: | Cabinet of Moldova Executive Committee of Gagauzia |
| Department: | General Department of Affairs of the Governor (Bashkan) |
| Constituting Instrument: | Constitution of Moldova Law on Special Legal Status of Gagauzia |
| Type: | Head of Government |
The governor of Gagauzia (Başkan (in Romanian; Moldavian; Moldovan pronounced as /ˈbaʃkan/)) is the highest political position in Gagauzia, an autonomous territorial unit of Moldova. They chair the Executive Committee of Gagauzia and are an ex-officio member of the Cabinet of Moldova.
The position is created by the 14th article of the law on the legal status of Gagauzia No. 344-XIII (December 23, 1994), which entered into force on 14 January 1995. All state authorities in Gagauzia are subordinate to the governor. The governor is elected by universal, equal, direct, secret and free suffrage on an alternative basis for a term of 4 years. One and the same person can be a governor for no more than two consecutive terms. They must be a citizen of Moldova over 35 years old and know the Gagauz language. The governor can issue decisions and decrees valid throughout the territory of Gagauzia. The governor can also sign or veto laws, appoint the members of the cabinet, and grant pardons when allowed to do so by the People's Assembly.
| No. | Portrait | Name | Office term | Political party | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gheorghe Tabunșcic | 19 June 1995 | 24 September 1999 | Party of Communists | Massive economic recession during tenure | ||
| 2 | Dumitru Croitor | 24 September 1999 | 21 June 2002 | Independent | Forced to resign under pressure from the PCRM due to abuses of power | ||
| - | Valeriu Ianioglo | 21 June 2002 | 10 July 2002 | Independent | Appointed interim governor by Croitor, rejected by the People's Assembly of Gagauzia | ||
| - | Ivan Kristioglo | 10 July 2002 | 29 July 2002 | Independent | Appointed interim governor by the People's Assembly, tenure struck down by the Supreme Court of Justice of Moldova | ||
| - | Gheorghe Mollo | 29 July 2002 | 9 November 2002 | Independent | Sought the expansion of the Moldovan language in Gagauzia | ||
| 3 | Gheorghe Tabunșcic | 9 November 2002 | 29 December 2006 | Party of Communists | Sought to rewrite the constitution of Moldova to create a federalized state. Lost his re-election bid. | ||
| 4 | Mihail Formuzal | 29 December 2006 | 15 April 2015 | Party of Regions | Russophile, declared that Gagauzia has a right to self determination in the event of the Unification of Moldova and Romania. | ||
| 5 | Irina Vlah | 15 April 2015 | 19 July 2023 | Party of Socialists | First female governor, granted a seat on the Supreme Security Council. | ||
| 6 | Evghenia Guțul | 19 July 2023 | Incumbent | Independent | Russophile, elected as a member of the Șor Party until the party's outlawing, took office as an Independent. | ||