Moldova prepares for the second round of presidential elections

The second round of presidential elections in Moldova will happen on Nov. 3. According to the country’s Central Election Commission, Maia Sandu, the current president, was leading in the first round, though she did not secure more than 50% of the votes.

As of early morning on Monday, the election commission had processed 97.88% of the ballots with the following results:

• Maia Sandu is leading with 41.84% of the votes (630,712 voters);
• Alexander Stoianoglo, a pro-Russian candidate from the party of Igor Dodon, is in second place with 26.35% of the votes (397,200 voters);
• Renato Usatîi, a former mayor of the town of Bălți, gained 13.76% of the vote (207,563 voters), showing the weakest result.

According to the Moldovan constitution, if none of the candidates secures 50% of the votes in the presidential election, a second round is held between the two candidates with the highest number of votes.

On November 3, Maia Sandu will face Stoianoglo in the second round of the elections, as reported by the BBC. The current president is expected to take part in debates where her opponent will likely ask tough questions about the results of the referendum on joining the EU.

The Central Election Commission of Moldova has confirmed that the referendum on European integration was legitimate, as 51.57% of eligible voters participated in the plebiscite, well above the minimum threshold of 33%. A narrow majority of voters (50.10%) said «no» to the idea of Moldova joining the EU, while 49.90% supported integration.

In August, Moldova decided to open its embassy in Astana, Kazakhstan, as part of an initiative to expand its diplomatic presence in Central Asia.