Vladimir Socor: Russia orchestrates Gagauz election in Moldova, ponders the next steps
Russian President Vladimir Putin smiles during a meeting with the leader of Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia, Leonid Tibilov, at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 18, 2015.
On March 30, Irina Vlah was officially declared the winner of the election for the post of Bashkhan (head of the executive authority) in Moldova's Gagauz Autonomous Territorial Unit (Gagauz Yeri). As now confirmed, Vlah won the election in the first round on March 22, with 51 percent of the votes cast, in a field of 10 candidates (Gagauzinfo.md, March 30).
