by Christina Silva
A pro-Russian candidate is leading in Moldova’s presidential elections in the latest sign of Russia’s resurging influence in Eastern Europe. Igor Dodon won 48 percent of the vote out of nine candidates, but narrowly missed winning a majority of votes, sending the election into a runoff.
Voters in the former Soviet Union republican were essentially asked to choose between closer integration with Europe or turning back to Moscow, and many choose the later. Pro-Europe candidate Maia Sandu came in second, with 38 percent of the vote in the nation’s first presidential election by direct vote in two decades.
