CHISINAU, November 12. /TASS/. The day of silence has started in Moldova on the eve of the second round of presidential elections. The first round failed to secure a winner. However, head of the Socialist Party Igor Dodon who advocates closer ties with Russia earned the majority of votes — 47.98%.
His rival is the candidate from the pro-European coalition — head of the Action and Solidarity Party Maia Sandu — earned 38.71% of votes. Local media call her "the protege of the United States" since she studied in US and worked at the World Bank.
Dodon, who served as Deputy Prime Minister in charge of economy until 2009, put forward a program on taking the country out of the prolonged crisis. "If I am elected, I will pay my first visit to Moscow, where I will initiate developing and signing the Agreement on strategic partnership with Russia which envisages economic, social and political cooperation, a common approach in the issue of settling the Transnistrian conflict, guarantees for Moldovan labor migrants residing in Russia," he told TASS earlier. He also pledged to protect Orthodox Christianity, Moldovan language and identity, to maintain neutrality and prevent the accession to NATO.
The prolonged political and economic crisis which the country entered after the coalition of pro-European parties came to power in 2009, will hardly end after the new president is elected. Moldova is a parliamentary republic, and the president has to coordinate many of his decisions with the parliamentary majority.
However, experts think that electing a new president may become the first step toward stabilization of the situation in the country. Next parliamentary election in Moldova are scheduled for 2018.