BUCHAREST, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- Socialist leader Igor Dodon led in Moldova's presidential elections on Sunday by gaining 48.23 percent of the vote, but he failed to get an absolute majority and win the election in the first round.
Dodon's main political rival, former Education Minister Maia Sandu, who is the head of the Action and Solidarity Party, came second with 38.42 percent of the vote, according to the latest preliminary results released by the Central Election Commission after processing 99.42 percent of the votes.
The other candidates remained far behind the top two candidates, obtaining no more than 6.01 percent of the vote.
According to the country's constitution, Dodon and Sandu are set to contest in the presidential run-off two weeks later, on Nov. 13.
Moldova held direct presidential elections on Sunday, in a change from the past 16 years during which the head of state was indirectly elected by the parliament.
Nine candidates, including three independent ones, competed for the state's top position.
Under the country's constitution, if no candidate gets an absolute majority (50 percent plus one vote) of the electoral vote, the two candidates with the most votes shall proceed to a runoff two weeks after the initial ballot.
Moldova, a former Soviet republic landlocked between Romania and Ukraine, is still shrouded in the shadow of a corruption scandal in which a total of 1 billion U.S. dollars, or around 10 percent of the country's gross domestic product, disappeared from its banking system.
The scandal sparked large-scale protests last year, eroded the confidence in pro-European politicians and has partially contributed to the Socialists' gain in popularity.
