Russia has already denied meddling in the vote, which came a week after another key Eastern European election in Georgia, whose president said it was a “special Russian operation”.

Alexandr Stoianoglo, who was dismissed as prosecutor general by Sandu, has denied being pro-Kremlin.

Voting closed in Moldova at 21:00 (19:00 GMT), with turnout 54% higher than four years ago, and especially among expatriate voters from polling stations abroad. The result is likely to become even tighter as results from EU and US polling stations become clear.

At the close of polls, both Maia Sandu and her rival thanked voters, with Stoianoglu speaking in both Russian and Romanian. Although Romanian is the main language of Moldova, Russian is widely spoken due to its Soviet past.

In voting, he promised to be an “apolitical president” for everyone, telling reporters that he voted for “a Moldova that develops in harmony with both the West and the East.”