The leader of the Moldovan Party of Socialists (PSRM), Igor Dodon, has won the country's presidential election, according to the final election results after the Central Election Commission (CEC) processed 100% of voter ballots.

Dodon won 835,210 votes, of 52.18% of the electorate, according to the data published on the CEC website. The united candidate of the right-wing pro-European parties, Maia Sandu, mustered 765,460 votes, or 47.82%. The second round of the election involved over 1,615,781 voters, or 53.54% of all registered voters.

These data are preliminary, the CEC said. The official data will be announced in a few days, after the CEC has received the originals of all voting protocols and summed up the official results. The CEC has five days to do so, and then three days to submit the documentation to the Constitutional Court. The Court has ten days to decide on whether to approve the election results and confirm the presidential mandate.

Dodon announced his election victory at midnight. Sandu has yet to react to the election results. She said she will hold a press conference at 3 p.m.

Dodon has already received congratulations from Moldova's Prime Minister Pavel Filip and Parliamentary Speaker Andrian Candu, as well as Metropolitan Vladimir of Chisinau and All Moldova.