BUCHAREST, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- Moldova's former Prime Minister Maia Sandu was projected to win the second round of the country's presidential election, with more than 99 percent of the votes counted late Sunday, according to reports reaching here.

Sandu, also leader of the Party of Action and Solidarity, was leading with 57 percent, while incumbent President Igor Dodon, another contender for Moldova's highest position in the next four years, was lagging behind with 43 percent, said the country's Central Electoral Commission. Dodon is supported by the country's largest Socialist Party.

"I today voted for a change, for Moldova, which we will all be proud of, for Moldova in which the people look at tomorrow with confidence and live in joy, alongside their families," said Sandu, who got the most votes during the first round of the election.

This is the second duel between the two. Dodon defeated Sandu in the second round of voting in November 2016 and won his first presidential mandate.

On Sunday, more than 2,000 polling stations were open to an estimated 3.2 million voters, with 139 stations set up abroad. Voters were asked to enter the polling booths with protective masks and bring their own pens to sign the lists because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

And over 200,000 Moldovans living overseas had voted by the early evening, compared with a total of 150,000 in the first round of voting.

Moldova held the first round of presidential election on Nov. 1 and decided the runoff election would take place between the top two candidates, as none of the nine candidates competing in the presidential race received an absolute majority of the votes -- 50 percent plus one vote -- during the first round of the election. Enditem

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