E.U. Representative in Moldova: Communists should find a way to vote for a President

The European Union's Representative in Moldova Kalman Mizsei recently told ProTV that the Party of Communists should try to reach an agreement with the ruling Alliance for European Integration about the election of a President.

The ruling coalition has 53 seats in the new Parliament, while the Communists hold 48. The President can be elected with 61 votes, which means the two opposing sides in the legislature need to find a compromise solution if they want to avoid early elections again.

After April 5, the Party of Communists won 60 seats in the legislature, but failed to convince at least one opposition M.P. to vote for its presidential candidate. Early elections were, as a result, organized on July 29.

The Party of Communists (PC) has sent mixed signals about its willingness to vote for an Alliance candidate. On the one hand, PC head and former Moldovan President (2001-2009) Vladimir Voronin said his party would be willing to negotiate with the Alliance if it fulfilled two conditions (about preserving the level of social welfare currently provided by the state and maintaining the country's military neutrality).

On the other hand, Mr. Voronin stressed that he would not vote for a "traitor" and a "leach," which is a reference to the Alliance's probably presidential candidate Marian Lupu. Mr. Lupu was Speaker between 2005 and 2009, but left the Party of Communists after the April 5 elections amid rumors that he felt betrayed by his party for not being nominated for President. The PC nominated then-Prime Minister Zinaida Greceanii instead.

h/t www.unimedia.md