BUCHAREST, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- Moldova's Central Election Commission (CEC) on Friday validated the results of the presidential runoff on Nov. 13 and declared Socialist candidate Igor Dodon the winner.
According to CEC Chairman Alina Russu, 1.6 million voters cast ballots in the presidential runoff elections.
The decision to instate Dodon, who won the most votes in the poll, is to be sent to the Constitutional Court within the next three days.
The top court will have 10 days to confirm or reject the presidential elections' legality.
In case the court validates the election result, the president-elect will take an oath in front of the Parliament and the Constitutional Court, not later than 45 days after the election.
Under the Constitution, Moldovan President's mandate is four years.
Moldova held the presidential runoff on Sunday, as none of the nine candidates competing in the presidential race received an absolute majority of votes in the first round of direct presidential elections on Oct. 30.
Dodon and the common right-wing candidate Maia Sandu contested in the presidential run-off on Nov. 13.
The presidential race marked the first time in 16 years that the country elected its leader by national vote instead of having parliament select the head of state.
Landlocked between Romania and Ukraine, the former Soviet republic is still shrouded in the shadow of a corruption scandal in which about 1 billion U.S. dollars, or around 10 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP), disappeared from its banking system at the end of 2014.
The scandal sparked large-scale protests last year, eroding confidence in pro-European politicians that have led the country since 2009 and has partially contributed to the Socialists' gain in popularity.
