CHISINAU, May 21. /TASS/. Gagauz leader Evghenia Gutsul said the people and lawmakers of the self-governed region won’t allow her removal from government.

"I think that the Gagauz will again defend Evghenia Gutsul, not as a person, but the status of the highest office, the highest official of the Gagauz autonomy," she told TASS ahead of a court ruling on her defense lawyers' appeal against the extension of her house arrest.

According to Gutsul, the region’s legislature is not going to strip her of the position of the top official.

"The Statute of the Gagauz autonomy provides for this [resignation of the head of the region], but I want to say that this should be done on the initiative of the People's Assembly. As far as I know and understand, I can assume that it will not go for it," she said.

The Gagauz leader said a regional leader had never been arrested before.

"No government has ever allowed itself to arrest the leader, even though she is not guilty, and leave the Gagauz autonomy without its top official," Gutsul said.

According to the official, her arrest rallied many people.

"Even the people that did not like the leader of Gagauzia and the Executive Committee rallied around us, and most likely, Gagauzia will again show its firm resolve and will not agree to the ouster," she said.

Gutsul said the Moldovan authorities made people bristle at the attempts against the head of the region.

"Today it happened to me, and tomorrow it could happen to anyone, not only to a member of the Executive Committee, but also lawmakers at the People's Assembly, mayors of settlement," she said.

According to law, if Gutsul remains in custody after May 25, she will be out of office for more than two months, giving grounds to the central government in Chisinau to seek her ouster over failure to discharge the duties of regional head.