Moldova faces a pivotal parliamentary election on September 28. The outcome of this poll will determine whether the country remains on its pro-European path or veers back into Russia's sphere of influence.

Gagauzia is an autonomous territory in the Republic of Moldova.

In the early 1990s, the region of Gagauzia made a push for independence, which ended when the Moldovan government granted it extensive autonomy in 1994.

The Gagauz are a Turkic, Orthodox Christian ethnic group. The Gagauz language is not spoken by everyone in the region.

Unlike the rest of Moldova, where Romanian is the main language, many people here speak Russian and consume Russian-language media — a consequence of the process of Russification during the Soviet period. Perhaps unsurprisingly, therefore, people here are largely pro-Russian. 

While most people in the region of Gagauzia say that they stand for a neutral Moldova, pro-Russian parties continue to dominate the political system there, and many want to maintain close ties with the Russian Federation. 

However, many educated young people here see Moldova's future in the European Union, which has in recent years invested in the region, building roads, water systems and preschools. They argue that the EU provides an opportunity to modernize both the country and the Gagauz region, while at the same time preserving and respecting the Gagauz identity.