Incumbent Moldovan President Maia Sandu and Russian-backed candidate Alexandr Stoianoglo have agreed to hold a public election debate on October 27 ahead of a November 3 presidential runoff, the two candidates' campaign teams have announced.
Pro-European Sandu won the first round held on October 20 with 42.49 percent of the vote while Socialist Stoianoglo garnered 25.9 percent, final results showed, after a campaign marred by allegations of vote-buying as well as manipulation and disinformation campaigns orchestrated by Russia.
SEE ALSO: Moldova's Razor-Thin EU 'Yes' Vote Puts President Sandu In A Tight SpotIn third place was businessman Renato Usatii, a former mayor of Moldova's second-largest city, Balti, with 13.79 percent of the votes.
A referendum for Moldova's integration into the European Union held simultaneously with the presidential vote passed by a wafer-thin margin -- 50.38 percent -- despite the "no" camp being ahead until the early hours of October 21, apparently due to decisive pro-EU votes cast by Moldova's staunchly pro-EU diaspora.
While the referendum has no legal impact on Moldova's negotiations with Brussels, the very narrow approval margin came as a surprise to many observers who had expected a more decisive vote in favor of the former Soviet republic's path toward Euro-Atlantic integration.
Many observers billed Moldova's dual elections as crucial to helping decide the country's future direction -- whether it will feature closer ties to Europe and the West or continue in Russia's shadow.
Some experts saw the result as a setback for Sandu, who had bet on a strong pro-European showing to cement her chances at a second four-year mandate.
The televised debate, to take place at the Palace of the Republic in the capital, Chisinau, will give the U.S.-educated Sandu an opportunity to reinforce her pro-Western message with Moldovan voters as she locks horns with Stoianglo, an ex-prosecutor-general facing accusations of corruption.
Sandu earlier announced in a video message on Facebook that she and Stoianoglo had agreed on the venue and the date after several differences between the two camps' preferences were settled.
It will also likely give her an occasion to elaborate on her statement on the election night that the balloting came under an "unprecedented" assault from "criminal groups," which tried to buy off as many as 300,000 votes with tens of millions of euros in an attempt to "undermine the democratic process."
Russia, which has been accused by Moldova's Western partners of strong interference in the electoral process in the run-up to the election, has rejected the accusations, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov calling on Sandu to present evidence to back her accusations of vote-buying.