In the Republic of Moldova, the pro-European former head of government Maia Sandu, head of the opposition party Action and Solidarity (PAS) surprisingly won the first round of the presidential election yesterday.
As the Moldovan electoral authority announced earlier this morning, after counting 99.30 percent of the votes, the 48-year-old was in the lead with 35.87 percent, ahead of the pro-Russian incumbent Igor Dodon from the ranks of the Socialist Party (PSRM) with 32.80 percent .
The decisive factor for Sandu’s partial victory were the votes of the Moldovan voters living abroad, who voted with an overwhelming majority for the pro-European politician. They accounted for more than 65 percent of all votes cast abroad.
Third-placed presidential candidate Renato Usatii (“Our Party”) caused another surprise in the election race, with a remarkable 16.96 percent.
Second round on November 15th
The final decision in the running for the presidency will be the runoff election between Sandu and Dodon scheduled for November 15, as no candidate received the required majority of 50 percent of the vote yesterday according to the rules.
