Incumbent is leading runoff in early voting and is expected to take most overseas votes to defeat Russia-leaning rival

Pro-western incumbent Maia Sandu is leading in the Moldovan presidential election, preliminary results have shown, marking a significant boost for the country’s EU aspirations and a clear rebuke to Moscow.

Moldovans voted on Sunday in a runoff election seen as a crucial indicator of whether the country’s long-term geopolitical alignment would be with Russia or Europe.