Moldova's pro-Western incumbent Maia Sandu took the lead in Sunday's presidential runoff election, overtaking challenger Alexander Stoianoglo with 92% of the vote counted, the Central Election Commission's website showed.

Sandu had 50.28% share of that vote, the website showed.

Two Chisinau-based political analysts, Vladislav Kulminski and Valeriu Pasha, said their assessment was the results indicated Sandu had won a second four-year term and defeated Stoianoglo, an ex-prosecutor-general.

The diaspora vote, which includes Moldovans living in Western capitals and favoured Sandu in the Oct. 20 first round, is typically counted last.

Neither Sandu nor Stoianoglo, who was backed by the pro-Russian Socialist Party, has claimed victory or admitted defeat.

The fortunes of Sandu, who set Moldova on the long path of EU accession talks in June, is closely watched in Brussels a week after Georgia, another ex-Soviet state seeking membership, re-elected a ruling party regarded in the West as increasingly pro-Russian.

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Moldova's incumbent President Maia Sandu secures her second term in the presidential runoff on Sunday, according to the State News Agency Moldpres.

After counting over 96.94 percent of the votes, preliminary results of the Central Electoral Commission showed that Sandu leads with 53.42 percent, while the Socialist candidate, Alexandr Stoianoglo, has garnered 46.58 percent.