On Sunday, Moldovans will elect their new president. Here's what you need to know.

Who are the front runners?

There are eight candidates in the country's presidential race but the two clear front runners are Igor Dodon, who is strongly pro Russian and Maia Sandu, who wants both links with EU member Romania and good relations with Russia.

Dodon is the country's acting president and has been in office since 2016, despite being suspended as president at least four times up to 2019. Sandu was previously prime minister for six months as part of a deal which resulted in Dodon's return to office.

Although he is now contesting the election as an independent candidate, Dodon has the support of his former party, the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova (PSRM), but his vote could be split by a populist party to his left. 

Sandu, likewise, faces a competition for votes from at least one other pro-EU party.

Moldova's foreign policy is one of the key election issues.

The pandemic effect

The two main candidates have also been highlighting their plans for managing COVID-19 and seeing the country out of the current health crisis. 

The pandemic has amplified the need to improve the country's economy and renew its efforts to fight poverty.

Moldova gained independence from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) in 1991 and it shares its borders with Ukraine and Romania. 

It is among the poorest in Europe, relying heavily on agriculture.

Over the years, as many as 1.5 million Moldovans are estimated to have left the country to seek work elsewhere.

The impact of the pandemic has exacerbated the former Soviet state's socio-economic problems and brought to the fore many others.

National lockdowns across several countries have led to a significant drop in foreign remittances by Moldovan citizens working abroad.

The money sent back home amounted to 15 percent of Moldova's GDP in 2019, whereas the figures from March 2020 indicate a decrease of at least 10 percent with an estimated fall of 25 percent in May.

Anti-corruption battle

During the election campaign, both Dodon and Sandu have also had to present clear policies on how they intend to fight corruption.

The new president must also deal with the crippling economic effects of the  2014 "billion dollar bank fraud," a banking scheme that robbed the country of 12 percent of its GDP. 

They will have to take steps to ensure the perpetrators and beneficiaries are held accountable for their actions.

Violeta Ivanov, a candidate for the Republican Socio-Political Movement Equality party (Sor), is fighting the election on a socialist platform and poses a potential threat to Dodon's vote.

Splitting the pro-EU vote?

On the other hand, Sandu faces a battle for pro-EU votes from three other candidates who could still present a considerable challenge to her on voting day.

The three contestants all see Romania as a natural ally and are proponents of EU integration of Moldova, views they share with Sandu. 

Romanian is the first language of two-thirds of Moldovans, while some identify as Romanian and hold dual citizenship.

Transnistria

There is also the important issue of Moldova's territory that lies east of the Nistru river, known as Transnistria, which unilaterally declared independence from Moldova in 1990 with an ensuing war.

The region's independence has never been recognised and the conflict remains unresolved. 

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