CHISINAU, November 1. /TASS/. The turnout in Moldova's presidential election has climbed to above 33.3%, which is a reason enough to declare the election valid, the Central Election Commission's secretary, Maxim Lebedinsky, has told TASS.

"According to preliminary statistics, the turnout has exceeded the required threshold of 33.3% of the registered voters. The election can be declared valid," Lebedinsky said.

Earlier, the CEC's chief Dorin Cimil said that no violations that might have influenced the outcome of the voting had been exposed.

The polling stations are to close at 21:00 local time (22:00) Moscow time. The election will be recognized valid, if one-third of the registered voters participate (3.2 million). The candidate who has collected no less than half of the votes will be declared the winner. Otherwise, the two front-runners will contest the presidency in the second round to be held in two weeks' time.