BUCHAREST, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- First partial results showed that Socialist leader Igor Dodon led in Moldova's presidential elections on Sunday, gaining 55.01 percent of votes, while his rival Maia Sandu got 30.69 percent, after 30.66 percent of the votes were counted.
Central Election Commission Chairperson Alina Russu announced the partial results at the first press briefing after the end of the voting process in Moldova, according to news reaching here from Moldova's capital city Chisinau.
More than 1.4 million Moldovans voted in the elections and the voter turnout was nearly 49 percent, Alina Russu said.
Moldova held direct presidential elections on Sunday, a change from the past 16 years during which the head of state was indirectly elected by the parliament.
Nine candidates took part in the presidential race, including three independent ones.
Under the country's constitution, to be elected as president, a candidate must win an absolute majority (50 percent, plus one vote) of the electoral votes, otherwise the two candidates with the most votes proceed to a runoff.
