New Elections in Deadlocked Moldova

[Bono]

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5htZt2vo56eYZtzMxfOX2b6_xvTNAD98J5MQ80

New elections set for deadlocked Moldova

By CORNELIU RUSNAC – 1 day ago

CHISINAU, Moldova (AP) — Moldovan lawmakers failed for a second time Wednesday to elect a president, meaning the Parliament elected in April will be dissolved and a new election will be held this summer.

The country has been in political paralysis since the last parliamentary elections, on April 5 . The Communist Party won the most votes, but opponents charged the election was rigged, and violent protests in which at least two people died broke out.

Protesters stormed the parliament building and the president's office. Authorities reacted harshly, arbitrarily arresting people and beating them, according to some international human rights organizations.

Before Wednesday's vote in Parliament, outgoing President Vladimir Voronin, who heads the Communist Party, tried to persuade members of the opposition to support the party's presidential candidate, former prime minister Zinaida Greceanii.

But opposition parties boycotted the vote.

"We cannot accept the illegal actions taken by the Communists in recent months and the eight years they have been in power," said Vlad Filat, who heads the Liberal Democratic Party.

The Communists won 60 seats in the April election. But they needed 61 votes to elect a new president. They failed elect a president on the first attempt, May 20.

"Now we have all the reasons for dissolving the current parliament," Voronin said after the Wednesday vote.

The country will hold elections 45 days after Voronin signs a decree dissolving the legislature. No date was given.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Related articles

    * Moldova: Deadlock Over a Successor
      New York Times - 13 hours ago
    * Blow to authority of Moldova leader
      Financial Times - 15 hours ago
    * New polls in deadlocked Moldova
      Hürriyet - 19 hours ago
    * Moldovan Parliament Fails In 2nd Try to Elect President
      The Moscow Times - 21 hours ago
    * More coverage (35) »

Add News to your iGoogle Homepage Add News to your Google Homepage
The Associated Press

[minionofmidas]

They'll win. They'll win as fairly as they tied last time.

[Bono]

This is today.

[Lief 🗽]

Is the PCRM actually communist (like Marxist-Leninist or something)? Or are they more of a social democratic party?

Also the 3/5 requirement to elect a President is stupid and undemocratic.

[Bono]

Is the PCRM actually communist (like Marxist-Leninist or something)? Or are they more of a social democratic party?

Also the 3/5 requirement to elect a President is stupid and undemocratic.

What's stupid and undemocratic is having a president elected by parliamentary vote.

Also, I don't think they're marxist-leninist per se, but they're definitely not social-democratic either.

I may be off here, and I welcome corrections, but I'd liken them to pre-Blair Labour.

[Hash]

The PCRM is hard to pin down, really. At times they act like old unreformed communists close to Russia, and on the other hand they privatize companies and favour EU integration. I guess they're slightly nationalist centre-leftists, though the Economist classifies them as centre-rightists.

[Hash]

Dammit. This hottie isn't running again:

[Hash]

Exit poll:

PCRM 41.70% 45 seats
PLDM 17.4% 19 seats
PL 16% 16 seats
PDM 12.5% 13 seats
AMN 8% 8 seats

PLDM+PL+AMN+PDM have a majority.

[Хahar 🤔]

Not a three-fifths majority, though.

[Hash]

Revised exit poll:

PCRM 43
PLDM 19
PL 18
PDM 13
AMN 8

PLDM+PL+AMN: 45
PLDM+PL+AMN+PDM: 58

The PDM is led by Marian Lupu, a PCRM dissident. Anyways, they're in more sh**t than they were prior to the elections.