Socialist candidate Igor Dodon has won the second round of Moldova's presidential election, preliminary results showed. 
With almost all the ballots counted, Dodon, who wants to restore close ties with Russia and vowed to slam the brakes on seven years of closer integration with the European Union, has 55% of the vote. His rival, Maia Sandu, is far behind with 45%. 
The national vote marks the first direct presidential election in Moldova for 20 years. 
Since 1996 presidents of Moldova have been chosen by parliament. 
The election was seen as a battle between those supporting closer ties with Russia and those wanting integration with the European Union. 
Dodon, 41, was a deputy prime minister in the Party of Communists government before 2009. He blames widespread corruption in Moldova on the pro-EU parties that have ruled the country since then. 
Both candidates criticized the vote on Sunday as badly organized, highlighting the shortage of ballot papers for overseas voters. 
The final voter turnout was 53.3%.

Source: QNA