A pro-Russian candidate has been elected the new governor of an autonomous region in Moldova.
A local election commission says Irina Vlah won a majority of votes in Sunday's election in Gagauzia, southern Moldova, where the population is comprised mainly of Turkish Christians.
Vlah wants stronger ties with Russia. Russian media report that she visited Moscow recently to meet Russian parliament leaders.
The Moldovan government is seeking closer ties with the West. Moldovan authorities are concerned about a Russian attempt to destabilize the country, which is a former republic of the Soviet Union.
At the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union, armed clashes took place over the issue of unilateral independence of the Transdniestria region, home of many ethnic Russians.
Russian forces have maintained a presence in Transdniestria ever since a 1992 ceasefire to keep the region virtually independent from Moldova.
Moldova neighbors Ukraine.
