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Irina Vlah

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Irina Vlah
İrina Vlah
Vlah in 2021
Governor of Gagauzia
In office
15 April 2015 – 19 July 2023
Preceded byMihail Formuzal
Succeeded byEvghenia Guțul
Member of the Moldovan Parliament
In office
17 March 2005 – 30 April 2015
Succeeded byInna Șupac
Parliamentary groupParty of Communists
Personal details
Born (1974-02-26) 26 February 1974 (age 50)
Comrat, Moldavian SSR, Soviet Union
(now Gagauzia, Moldova)
Political partyParty of Socialists
Other political
affiliations		Party of Communists (2005-2015; parliamentary grouping)
Alma materComrat State University
Academy of Sciences of Moldova

Irina Vlah (Gagauz: İrina Vlah; Russian: Ирина Фёдоровна Влах, romanized: Irina Fyodorovna Vlakh; born 26 February 1974) is a Moldovan Gagauzian politician, who served as Head of the autonomous region of Gagauzia since 2015 to 2023. Previously, she served as member of the Moldovan Parliament from 2005 to 2015.[1][2]

The first woman to lead her region, Vlah has been ranked on opinion polls as one of the most trusted Moldovan politicians.[3][4] She is a member of the pro-Russian Party of Socialists.

Early life

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Irina Vlah was born on 26 February 1974 in Comrat into family of state employees. She is of mixed Gagauz and Bulgarian descent.[5]

From 1991 to 1996 she studied at the Comrat State University at the Faculty of Law. From 2001 to 2008 she was a doctoral student at the Academy of Sciences of Moldova and defended her PhD thesis on the topic "The modern concept of the development of the civil service in the Republic of Moldova".[5]

Political career

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Vlah became a lawyer in 1996, working at the tax inspectorate.[5]

Between 2003 and 2005, she headed the legal department of the Executive Committee of Gagauzia.[5]

Member of Parliament

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Vlah successfully ran for the Moldovan Parliament in 2005. Five years later, she was appointed to the Executive Committee of the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova.[5]

Governor of Gagauzia

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Vlah (far left) at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2017 with other top-ranking Moldovan Russophiles

In 2015, Vlah ran to become Head of Gagauzia. On 22 March, she was declared the winner of the election in the first round, gaining an absolute majority of the votes. She took her oath of office on 15 April, becoming the first woman to hold the position. Moldovan President Nicolae Timofti appointed Vlah as an ex-officio member of the nation's cabinet and granted her a seat on the Supreme Security Council.[6]

In 2019, she was re-elected as Head of Gagauzia in a landslide, achieving the largest win in the region's modern history.[5]

On 4 March 2021, Vlah was removed from the Supreme Security Council amidst a reshuffle.[7]

Vlah was unable to seek election to a third term due to term limits and was replaced in 2023 by Evghenia Gutul.[8]

2024 presidential campaign

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Main article: 2024 Moldovan presidential election
Vlah's 2024 presidential campaign logo

On 29 September 2024, Vlah announced she would be running for President as an independent.[9] In her announcement speech she criticized closer ties between Moldova and NATO and increased defense spending and stated Moldova must be "neutral."[8] She has also stated that it necessary to "maintain ties with the CIS countries, for the benefit of our businesses and compatriots."[10]

Vlah claimed she was being harassed by the Moldovan police when she attempted to hold a campaign rally in Naslavcea in a restricted portion of the Moldova-Ukraine border without permission from Moldovan border guards. The police criticized her claims as "groundless, manipulating and of disparagement" and that the border-guard post she was attempting to campaign at was a clearly restricted area and that by publishing the uncensored face of the officer who turned her away was attempting to intimidate the police.[11]

Honours and accolades

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References

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  1. ^ Vitalie Călugăreanu (23 March 2015). "Irina Vlah este noul bașcan al "Gagauz-Yeri": "Sunt gata să-i propun stabilitate Chișinăului!"". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
  2. ^ I. C. (23 March 2015). "Candidatul susținut fățiș de Rusia, Irina Vlah, a câștigat alegerile din Găgăuzia". HotNews. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
  3. ^ "Partidele care ar ajunge in legislativ daca duminica viitoare ar avea loc alegeri parlamentare. Top trei politicieni care se bucura de cea mai mare incredere. Sondaj iData", protv.md, retrieved February 18, 2019
  4. ^ "Sondaj: Cine sunt politicienii în care moldovenii au cea mai mare încredere", stiri.md, retrieved February 18, 2019
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Despre me" (in Romanian). Archived from the original on 31 March 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  6. ^ "New governor of south Moldova autonomy takes oath of office as cabinet member". Presidency of the Republic of Moldova. 2015-04-15.
  7. ^ "Башкан Гагаузии исключена из состава Высшего совета безопасности". noi.md (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-05-16.
  8. ^ a b "Pro-Moscow, Former Gagauzia Leader To Run For Moldovan President". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  9. ^ "Irina Vlah started campaigning for presidential elections". moldpres. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  10. ^ "Irina Vlah: I will not allow Moldova to be engaged in foreign military scenarios". ipn. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  11. ^ "Moldovan Police turn down charges by candidate for president's office Irina Vlah". moldpress. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  12. ^ "Патриарх Московский и Всея Руси удостоил башкана юбилейной медали Русской Православной церкви". Archived from the original on 2018-05-17. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
  13. ^ "УКАЗ № 1122".
  14. ^ "Bashkan of Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia awarded with Friend of Azerbaijan Golden Order". azertac. 25 September 2019.
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