Moldova's pro-Russian presidential candidate Igor Dodon has declared victory in Sunday's presidential runoff vote, holding a commanding lead in the former Soviet republic with nearly all votes counted.

With 97 percent of all ballots tallied late Sunday, Dodon, who campaigned on promises to restore closer ties with Russia, held a commanding 55.3 to 44.7 percent lead over pro-Europe rival Maia Sandu.

"We have won, everyone knows it," Dodon said at a late night news conference.

Final results are expected early Monday in the impoverished country of 3.5 million.

FILE - Leader of the Action and Solidarity Party, FILE - Leader of the Action and Solidarity Party and pro-Europe candidate Maia Sandu casts her vote during the first round of presidential elections in Chisinau Moldova, Oct. 30, 2016. FILE - Leader of the Action and Solidarity Party and pro-Europe candidate Maia Sandu casts her vote during the first round of presidential elections in Chisinau Moldova, Oct. 30, 2016.

Dodon, who came close to winning the presidency outright in the first round of voting two weeks ago, also has pledged to foster good relations with Moldova's neighbors, Romania and Ukraine. However, such appeasement gestures may face stiff resistance in Kyiv by many who object to Dodon's support for Russia's 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula.

For her part, Sandu - a former education minister - used her campaign to urge closer ties with Europe. She also called for the withdrawal of several thousand Russian troops from Moldova's Russian-speaking separatist region of Trans-Dniester.

Dodon's apparent victory comes alongside that of nearby Bulgaria's pro-Russian presidential candidate Gen. Rumen Radev, a political novice whose win on Sunday prompted center-right Prime Minister Boyko Borisov to announce his resignation.

People cast ballots during a presidential election Voters cast ballots during a presidential election at a polling station in Chisinau, Moldova, Nov. 13, 2016. Voters cast ballots during a presidential election at a polling station in Chisinau, Moldova, Nov. 13, 2016.

Moldova, like Bulgaria, has in recent years been plagued with rampant official corruption.

Former Moldovan prime minister Vlad Filat was sentenced earlier this year to a nine-year prison term, after a court found him guilty of corruption and abuse of power during his 2009-2013 term as head of government. His pro-European ruling coalition had been linked to the country's most powerful oligarch, Vladimir Plahotniuc, who has long been accused of running the country through bribes and intimidation.

Filat was arrested last year during a parliamentary session and later charged for his links to a bank fraud scheme that included the disappearance from three banks of $1 billion - nearly 13 percent of the tiny country's annual GDP.

Filat's successor later lost a parliamentary vote of confidence. </s> CHISINAU, Moldova — Moldova's presidential election will go to a runoff after a pro-Russian candidate narrowly missed winning a majority of votes.

With almost all ballots counted early Monday, Igor Dodon won 48.26 while pro-European rival Maia Sandu scored 38.42 , the top finishers among the nine candidates.

With no one securing a majority, a second round of voting will be held on Nov. 13 to decide between Dodon and Sandu.

The election on Sunday was the first presidential election by direct vote in 20 years in this impoverished former Soviet republic.

, angry about high-level corruption, were divided about whether to seek closer integration into Europe or rekindle ties with Moscow.

Dodon, who closer ties with Moscow, has pledged to "restore broad and friendly ties with Russia."

The former Communist Party member tapped into dissatisfaction with the pro-European government that came to power in 2009.

Sandu, an ex-World Bank economist and a pro-European figure, has vowed to be tough with endemic corruption. She earned praise for reforms she carried out when she was education minister.

Both the European Union together with the U.S. and Russia seek to have more influence over Moldova, a landlocked nation of 3.5 million between EU member Romania and Ukraine. </s> A pro-Russian candidate for president of Moldova is all but certain to win the race, preliminary results showed on Sunday, following a campaign in which he vowed to slam the brakes on seven years of closer integration with the European Union.

With 90 percent of votes counted, online results showed Socialist candidate Igor Dodon had won 55.9 percent, and his pro-European challenger, Maia Sandu, had 44.1 percent. </s> Pro-Moscow candidate Igor Dodon has seized nearly 15-point lead in Moldova's presidential election, with 75 percent of the vote counted.

Dodon had 57.25 of the vote in an election where he promised to restore ties with Moscow. His rival Maia Sandu, an ex-World Bank official who ran on an anti-corruption ticket, was polling 42.75 percent.

Dodon has tapped into popular anger about corruption under the pro-European government that came to power in 2009, particularly over about $1 billion that went missing from Moldovan banks before 2014 parliamentary elections. </s> next Image 1 of 3

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Moldova's presidential election will go to a runoff after a pro-Russian candidate narrowly missed winning a majority of votes.

With almost all ballots counted early Monday, Igor Dodon won 48.26 percent, while pro-European rival Maia Sandu scored 38.42 percent.

There will now be a second round on Nov. 13 as no candidate secured a majority of the vote.

The election on Sunday was the first presidential election by direct vote in 20 years in this impoverished former Soviet republic.

Moldovans, angry about high-level corruption, were divided about whether to seek closer integration into Europe or rekindle ties with Moscow. </s> A flower vendor stands back dropped by a large poster of socialist presidential candidate Igor Dodon, placed on an apartment block, which reads in Russian and Romanian "We will win and it will be better in Moldova" in Chisinau, Moldova, Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016. Moldovans will directly elect their president on Sunday for the first time in 20 years the favorite is Socialist Igor Dodon, who wants the ex-Soviet republic to return to the Russian orbit, while rival Maia Sandu believes the agricultural nation of 3.5 million, bordering Ukraine and European Union member Romania, would secure a more prosperous future in Europe. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) </s> CHISINAU, Moldova — Near final results show a clear victory for a pro-Russian politician in a presidential race that many Moldovans hope will rekindle ties with Moscow.

With 99.9 of the votes counted early Monday, Igor Dodon won 52.3 of the vote, while Maia Sandu who ran on an anti-corruption ticket, had 47.7 .

celebrated his victory with fireworks early Monday in the semi-autonomous Gagauzia region, where many ethnic Russians live.

Dodon promised he would be a president to all Moldovans. He tapped into popular anger over the approximately $1 billion that went missing from Moldovan banks before the 2014 parliamentary elections.

He wants to restore ties with Russia, which placed a trade embargo on Moldovan wine and fruit after it signed an association agreement with the European Union. </s> CHISINAU, Moldova (AP) — Near final results show a clear victory for a pro-Russian politician in a presidential race that many Moldovans hope will rekindle ties with Moscow.

With 99.9 percent of the votes counted early Monday, Igor Dodon won 52.3 percent of the vote, while Maia Sandu who ran on an anti-corruption ticket, had 47.7 percent.

Moldovans celebrated his victory with fireworks early Monday in the semi-autonomous Gagauzia region, where many ethnic Russians live.

Dodon promised he would be a president to all Moldovans. He tapped into popular anger over the approximately $1 billion that went missing from Moldovan banks before the 2014 parliamentary elections.

He wants to restore ties with Russia, which placed a trade embargo on Moldovan wine and fruit after it signed an association agreement with the European Union. </s> According to the results announced after the tallying of 98.32 percent of the votes, pro-Russia candidate Igor Dodon has won 48.71 percent of the votes in the Moldovan presidential elections and will face Maia Sandu – a politician considered to be pro-European, who won 37.94 percent of the votes – in the runoff. The voter turnout stood at 48.9 percent according to preliminary data, Mediafax informs.

Several Romanian politicians have called on Moldovan voters to mobilise and vote in favour of pro-European candidate Maia Sandu in the Republic of Moldova’s presidential runoff.

President Iohannis: I hope second round of elections in Moldova observes European standards

The presidential elections of the Republic of Moldova represent a crucial moment for the state’s future, President Klaus Iohannis said on Monday.

He shows that on Sunday he had constantly been informed by the Foreign Affairs Ministry about the ballot development, including through the Romanian Embassy in Chisinau.

“I am voicing my hope that the second round of elections of 13 November 2016 is carried out in good conditions, with the observance of the European standards on election conduct, in the spirit of fairness and transparency. In context, I underscore the importance of further ensuring the internal stability and the responsibility of the entire political class,” reads the president’s message sent after the first round of the presidential elections of the Republic of Moldova.

“The strategic partnership for the European integration of the Republic of Moldova between Romania and the Republic of Moldova must be developed and strengthened, same as the reform process in a European spirit, aimed at continuing the European integration to the concrete benefit of all the citizens of the Republic of Moldova,” Iohannis mentions.

National Liberal Party (PNL) President Alina Gorghiu on Monday said that the second round of the presidential election in Moldova is a chance for preserving Moldova’s pro-Europe orientation.

“I want to congratulate the Moldovans, who after 20 years showed up to elect their next president, and I am also glad that the election was held without incidents. It is good news that there will be a runoff, which is a chance for Moldova to preserve its strategic direction and pro-Europe orientation,” Gorghiu wrote in a Facebook posting.

Ex-President Traian Basescu has forecast that Maia Sandu will win the presidential runoff, welcoming the result registered on Sunday.

“The Republic of Moldova is PRO WEST, PRO ROMANIA. Igor Dodon hasn’t won the presidential elections in the first round, even though his Russophone electorate was totally mobilised to go out and vote. Maia Sandu has managed to enter the runoff with a good score of 38 percent, although a significant part of young voters did not vote but will surely do so in the runoff.”

“On Sunday, November 13, Maia Sandu will win the presidential elections with 53 percent of the votes and the Republic of Moldova will remain Pro-Europe and Pro-Romania, with voter turnout set to surpass 55 percent. Bravo Maia, bravo citizens of the Republic of Moldova!” Traian Basescu wrote on Facebook.

On the other hand, MP Theodor Paleologu thinks that Maia Sandu has a “small but real chance” to become President.

“Thank God Dodon did not win in the first round! Thank God there is still a small but real chance left for Maia Sandu to win the presidential elections in the Republic of Moldova! From now on I hope the people of Bessarabia will mobilise against the policy that Dodon represents,” the MP wrote on his page.

Ghinea: A sad result, because more was possible

Former European Funds Minister Cristian Ghinea, USR’s candidate in the parliamentary elections, stated however that Sunday’s result “is sad primarily because doing more, doing it better and at the necessary moment was possible,” referring to what Romania could have done for a truly democratic Moldova.

“What if Traian Basescu, after taking that excellent decision to donate 100 million Euros to Moldova, wouldn’t have taken the catastrophic decision to entrust Elena Udrea with the money. At [the helm of] a ministry that had zero experience and zero expertise as external donor. Back then, I amicably argued with the Swedish ambassador to Chisinau. The ambassador claimed that Sweden is Moldova’s biggest bilateral donor, I claimed that Romania is. She told me: let’s see the money and the projects implemented and then we’ll talk. I wrote two public reports while Basescu was President, in which I warned that the money is blocked or poorly spent. Back then his aide Iulian Chifu became angry with me. So did two MAE [Romanian Foreign Ministry] departments. In the end, though, I was right: although the assistance project should have been finalised in 2014, not even half of the sum has been spent by 2016,” the ex-minister wrote on Facebook.

He drew a parallel between Maia Sandu and Dacian Ciolos and emphasised that Traian Basescu and Victor Ponta should have implemented the “conditional aid” principle much earlier, the conditions being transparency, democratisation, anti-corruption.

“How would things have turned out had we realised earlier that we cannot leave in the hands of oligarchs the money meant for the elimination of the oligarchy? How would things have turned out had we had, six years ago, when Moldova was getting rid of Voronin, a Romanian Development Agency – RoAid – that would have better managed the money that Basescu promised?” Ghinea rhetorically asked.

Romania’s Ambassador in Chisinau: Regardless who will be president in Moldova, Romania wants fair relations

Regardless of who will be the democratically elected president of the Republic of Moldova, Romania will want to have ‘fair’ and ‘of principle’ relations, based on which we can consolidate cooperation, Romania’s Ambassador in Chisinau Daniel Ionita said in an interview to AGERPRES on Monday, one day after the first round of the presidential elections of the Republic of Moldova.

“As far as we are concerned, the result should be only one: regardless of who will be the democratically elected president of the Republic of Moldova, Romania will want to have fair and of principle relations, based on which all the forms of cooperation can be continued and consolidated,” the diplomat said.

Ionita said that the Republic of Moldova represents a “perennial strategic priority” of Romania and the only path it should follow is “the European path, the path generating not only the so much needed stability, but also the prosperity desired for all the citizens.”
Voters in Moldova head to the polls in the country's presidential runoff between two opposition candidates, Igor Dodon, from the pro-Russian socialist PSRM, and Maia Sandu, from the pro-EU liberal PAS, with Dodon expected to win. Preliminary results, in this first Moldovan election where the president is chosen by national votes rather than by parliament, will be announced Monday.