The Central Election Commission of Moldova has processed 100% of the ballots from the presidential election and referendum held on October 20, Radio Svoboda reports.
According to the press service of the Central Election Commission, current President Maia Sandu and former Prosecutor General Alexandru Stoianoglo have entered the second round of elections.
According to the results of the protocols, Sandu received 42.45% and Stoianoglo 25.98% of the vote.
A total of 1,562,795 people took part in the elections, which is 51.68% of the voters on the voting lists.
According to the referendum results, 50.46% of voters supported the country’s European integration, while 49.54% were against it.
The results of the presidential election and referendum are to be confirmed by the Constitutional Court.
Observers have called the elections and referendum in Moldova crucial in determining the country’s future direction – whether it will have closer ties with Europe and the West or be more oriented toward Russia.
In an interview with The Ukrainian Review, Moldovan political analyst, journalist, and editor-in-chief of AVA-TV, Andrei Andrievsky, said that the second round will take place and that Sandu and Stoianoglo will be the main opponents. He also outlined possible scenarios for the development of events after the election of the new president of Moldova.
The current victory of Sandu or Stoianoglo is important in terms of building relations with the EU, psychologically important, but the most important struggle will be next year, because we are a parliamentary republic. The parliament approves the government, which has all the levers of governance. According to the constitution, the president’s powers are severely limited, – said Andriyevsky.
The second round of elections is scheduled for November 3.
