Moldova holds presidential runoff

Bucharest, Nov 3 (IANS) Moldova's presidential runoff is underway on Sunday, with incumbent President Maia Sandu and former Prosecutor General Alexandr Stoianoglo vying for the country's highest position in the next four years.

More than 2,000 polling stations have opened to serve an estimated 2.7 million eligible voters, including 231 stations abroad, according to the Central Electoral Commission (CEC), Xinhua news agency reported.

The CEC said over 240,000 members of the diaspora voted, with an additional 1,447 votes submitted by mail. The postal ballots will be counted on Sunday after all polling stations close in the host countries.

Sandu, a pro-European candidate formerly leading the Action and Solidarity Party, secured 42.49 per cent of the vote in the initial round on October 20, while Stoianoglo, backed by the Party of Socialists, received 25.95 per cent.

Since no candidate among the 11 contenders reached the required majority of over 50 per cent in the first round, the top two candidates advanced to Sunday's runoff.

The CEC has accredited over 2,400 observers to monitor the voting process.

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