Moldova parliament delays second presidential vote

The dominant Communist Party fell one vote short of electing Prime Minister Zinaida Greceanii in the first ballot last week. If the second vote fails, parliament must be dissolved and new parliamentary elections held. The Communists' victory a month ago triggered violent street protests in the capital, Chisinau. The Communists cited a major religious holiday on Thursday as the reason for the delay, but a lawmaker said the postponement was intended to allow more time for talks with the opposition. Opposition parties, which hold a total of 41 seats in the assembly, boycotted the previous ballot. At least 61 votes are required to approve a presidential candidate in the 101-seat legislature. The Communist faction has 60 members. The leader of the opposition Our Moldova alliance, Seraphim Urechean, said after the parliamentary session on Thursday that if he was nominated as a presidential candidate, his party would take part in the June 3 vote. The Communist Party nominated last Friday the country's ambassador to Russia, Andrei Neguta, as its second presidential candidate, Kazinform cites RIA Novosti. See www.en.rian.ru for full version.