Pro-EU leader ahead in tight Moldovan vote amid claims of Kremlin meddling

Moldova's pro-EU president Maia Sandu appears connected people for a 2nd word aft a pivotal statesmanlike predetermination run-off seen arsenic a prime betwixt Europe and Russia.

Alexandr Stoianoglo had taken an aboriginal lead. Backed by the pro-Russian Party of Socialists, helium had promised a person narration with Moscow.

But with much than 95% of the ballot counted, the Central Election Commission said Sandu had moved up with 51.85% of the vote, and with results inactive coming successful from the expat ballot she was expected to cement her lead.

During the vote, the president's nationalist information advisor said determination had been "massive interference" from Russia successful Moldova's electoral process that had "high imaginable to distort the outcome".

Russia had already denied meddling successful the vote, which came a week aft different cardinal Eastern European predetermination successful Georgia, whose president said it had been a "Russian peculiar operation".

As polls closed, some Maia Sandu and her rival thanked voters, with Stoianoglu speaking successful Russian arsenic good arsenic Romanian. Although Romanian is Moldova's main language, Russian is wide spoken due to the fact that of its Soviet past.

Alexandr Stoianoglo, who was fired arsenic authoritative wide by Sandu, has denied being pro-Kremlin.

Voting ended successful Moldova astatine 21:00 (19:00 GMT), with a 54% turnout higher than 4 years ago, and particularly precocious among expat voters astatine polling stations abroad.

As Sandu overtook her challenger, determination was cheering astatine her run office and chants of "victory".

Her pb was expected to go adjacent clearer erstwhile results came done from the US, arsenic good arsenic the EU. The last effect volition beryllium declared connected Monday.

Casting his ballot, helium promised to beryllium an "apolitical president" for everyone, telling reporters helium had voted for "a Moldova that should make successful harmony with some the West and the East".

Stoianoglu polled peculiarly good successful agrarian areas and the south, portion Sandu was up successful the cities and abroad, Moldovan media reported.

Sandu appealed aft casting her ballot for Moldovans to sphere their independence, informing of "thieves" who sought to bargain their ballot and their country.

Presidential nationalist information advisor Stanislav Secrieru said Russia had organised buses and ample charter flights to bring voters to polling stations.

Bomb scares had concisely disrupted voting successful Moldova, astatine UK polling stations successful Liverpool and Northampton and astatine Frankfurt and Kaiserslautern successful Germany, helium added.

A Soviet republic for 51 years, Moldova is flanked by Ukraine and Romania and 1 of Europe's poorest countries. It has a colonisation of 2.5 cardinal and an expat colonisation of 1.2 million.

Moldova's authorities person agelong warned that a fugitive oligarch called Ilan Shor has spent $39m (£30m) trying to bargain the predetermination for Moscow with handouts to 138,000 Moldovans.

Shor, who is based successful Moscow, denies wrongdoing but did committedness currency payments to anyone prepared to backmost his telephone for a "firm No" to the EU.

Commentators and politicians had warned that a Stoianoglu triumph could radically alteration the governmental scenery successful the Danube and Black Sea region, not due to the fact that helium was immoderate benignant of "Trojan horse", but alternatively due to the fact that Russia has thrown its value down him.

There were queues astatine polling stations successful Moscow, Italy and among voters from a chiefly Russian-speaking breakaway portion of Transnistria, who had to transverse the River Dniester into Moldovan-controlled territory to vote. Transnistria is location to a Russian subject basal and a immense arms depot.

Moldova's predetermination committee said it was alert of reports of organised and amerciable transports of voters by aerial and onshore successful Russia, Belarus, Azerbaijan and Turkey, and appealed to the nationalist to study further violations.

Although Sandu had easy won the archetypal circular of the vote, respective candidates swung down Stoianoglo, though the third-placed campaigner refused to backmost either of the two.

The archetypal circular coincided with a nail-biting referendum connected backing a alteration to the constitution embracing the committedness to articulation the EU.

In the extremity the ballot passed by a tiny borderline successful favour, and Maia Sandu said determination had been wide grounds of attempts to bargain 300,000 votes.