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BUCHAREST, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Incumbent President Igor Dodon led in Moldova's presidential elections on Sunday by garnering 40.9 percent of the vote, while his main rival Maia Sandu won 34.6 percent of the vote, according to a joint survey conducted by the WatchDog.md Community and the Institute of Public Policy.

If confirmed, the country may hold a runoff presidential election two weeks later, according to the constitution, as none of the candidates gained over 50 percent of the vote and won in the first round.

"As a candidate, I want to thank all the voters who supported me today. I assure you that you will not regret it. Together, we will overcome any obstacle," said Dodon during a briefing after the polling stations closed.

Sandu, in her turn, expressed her gratitude to voters for their active participation in the elections, especially to overseas voters for their active voting. Meanwhile, she claimed that there had been many cases of election fraud.

In the elections four years ago, the two also met in the second round when Dodon defeated Sandu, leader of the Action and Solidarity Party.

The other six candidates were far behind the top two candidates. Only one of them, Renato Usatii of Our Party, got more than 10 percent of the vote, reaching 11.5 percent.

Over 2,000 polling stations were open on Sunday to an estimated 3.2 million voters from 7 a.m. (0500 GMT) until 9 p.m. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, voters were asked to enter the polling booths with protective masks and take their own pens to sign the lists.

The ballot was declared valid, as the turnout was some 43 percent till 9 p.m, according to the Central Electoral Commission. Enditem