CHISINAU, October 27. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin is the most beloved foreign political figure among residents of Moldova’s autonomous Gagauzia region, according to an opinion poll.
The poll was conducted in September by the Institute of Marketing and Sociological Surveys (IMAS) for Moldovan media company Public Media, with the approval of Moldova’s Central Electoral Commission.
More than 80% of Gagauzia residents expressed some degree of trust in Putin, the poll found. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also ranked among the top three, with trust ratings between 70%-80%. US President Donald Trump came in a distant fourth, with just over 20% expressing trust in him. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, Romanian President Nicusor Dan and others followed, each with ratings of around 10%.
Nearly all respondents said they feel connected to both Russian and Gagauz culture. They also said they do not speak Moldova’s official language and use Russian or Gagauz in their daily lives.
The poll surveyed a representative sample of 818 respondents ahead of elections scheduled for November to choose the head of the autonomy and members of the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia. The researchers estimated the margin of error at 3.4%.
The post of head of Gagauzia became vacant amid legal proceedings against Evgenia Gutsul, who was accused of violations involving the financing of a political party and sentenced to seven years in prison.
Gutsul denied wrongdoing and said that Moldova’s leadership spearheaded the proceedings against her. Her relations with Chisinau deteriorated after she won the 2023 election and announced plans to strengthen friendly ties with Russia.
After Gutsul was removed from office, Moldovan authorities amended the electoral code. Gagauz officials say the changes stripped the region of its right to organize elections for its own governing bodies independently. Only half of the political parties registered in Moldova were allowed to take part in the elections.