There was no immediate winner in Moldova’s presidential race on Sunday although incumbent President Igor Dodon received the largest share of votes according to preliminary results.
Although the election had multiple candidates, the focus was on President Dodon and pro-European candidate and former Prime Minister Maia Sandu.
Both came out on top in the first round, with Dodon getting 36% of the vote according to preliminary results, and Sandu receiving 30% after polls closed at 9:00 pm.
Polls were open for an additional hour at international locations, the Central Election Commission said in a statement.
The runoff between the two candidates will be held on November 15th.
Many see the election as a competition between two visions of the country. Dodon is close to Moscow and his base is among the Russian-speaking minority.
Sandu is pro-European and is popular with Moldovans who want to see the country join the European Union. She is also popular with those who live overseas, who could help her gain votes.
Dodon won the last election in 2016 by a mere 70,000 votes against Sandu.
