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CHISINAU, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- Moldova's presidential elections winner, Socialist leader Igor Dodon Tuesday called on his rightist opponents to be calm and stop the street protests, so as to avoid a split in society.
He made the appeal at a press conference, following protests staged Monday and Tuesday by his rival supporters dissatisfied with the election outcome.
The election results were recognized by many international observers, both of the OSCE, PACE and the CIS Parliamentary Assembly, stressed the pro-Russian leader who won the Sunday presidential runoff with a score of 52.18 percent of the vote, defeating his rightist rival Maia Sandu who took 47.82 percent.
Yet, Sandu and other rightist leaders said that citizens have "every right" to protest.
The protesters gathered in the capital's central square, in front of the Central Election Commission(CEC) and the Constitutional Court, requesting the dismissal of the CEC head and the foreign minister for obstructing the constitutional right of overseas Moldovans to vote.
They also asked for running the elections again, so as to ensure everyone's right to vote.
Meanwhile, Sandu, who insisted the runoff elections were rigged, called on the people to sign a petition to render the Nov. 13 presidential runoff null and void.
"Don't play with fire," Dodon warned, revealing that tens of thousands of supporters are waiting to come to counter-protests.
Dodon stressed that he undoubtedly won the election. "For seven years, we pro-Moldovan forces have waited for this victory. Do you think we would not defend it?" the Socialist leader reiterated.
Moldova held the presidential runoff on Sunday, as none of the nine candidates competing in the presidential race received an absolute majority of the votes in the first round of direct presidential elections on Oct. 30.
The presidential race marked the first time in 16 years that the country was electing its leader by national vote instead of having parliament select the head of state.
The presidential elections are generally viewed in the country as a battle between pro-Russian and pro-EU camps.
Landlocked between Romania and Ukraine, the former Soviet republic is still shrouded in the shadow of a corruption scandal in which about 1 billion U.S. dollars, or around 10 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP), disappeared from its banking system at the end of 2014.
The scandal sparked large-scale protests last year, eroding confidence in pro-European politicians that have led the country since 2009 and has partially contributed to the Socialists' gain in popularity.
