CHISINAU (Reuters) - A late surge from Moldova’s diaspora voters gave the pro-Western challenger Maia Sandu the lead in the first round of Sunday’s presidential election, setting the stage for a run-off against pro-Moscow incumbent Igor Dodon in the second round.Sandu, a Harvard-educated former World Bank economist known for her tough stance on corruption, led with 36.1% while Dodon had 32.66%, according to data from the election commission with 99.81%% of votes counted. A candidate needs over 50% of the vote to avoid the Nov. 15 runoff, which would be a repeat of the 2016 election, when Dodon defeated Sandu in the second round. The election in the nation of 3.5 million, where the West and Russia vie for influence, took place in the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic that has pushed one of Europe’s poorest countries into a sharp economic downturn. “This is an extraordinary mobilization. Thank you,” Sandu said about diaspora voters. Dodon had taken power four years ago after pro-Western political forces became mired in scandals. Sandu led a coalition government last year that was brought down within months by a no-confidence vote.