Sandu leads in 1st round of Moldovan elections, voters split on EU referendum

Moldovan President Maia Sandu led the first round of the country's presidential election on Oct. 20 with nearly 42 percent of the vote, the Moldovan election commission reported.

The preliminary results are based on over 98 percent of the tallied votes.

If no candidate wins a majority, a second round of voting will take place on Nov. 3. Sandu will likely face off against her main competitor, Alexandr Stoianoglo, who captured roughly 26 percent of the vote in the first round.