Communist M.P. denies fellow party member's accusations that ruling Alliance threatening Communists with criminal prosecution

Communist M.P. Iurie Stoicov has denied allegations made by his colleague and fellow party member Iurie Munteanu, who said that Party of Communists (PC) deputies are being threatened with criminal prosecution if they refuse to vote for Marian Lupu for President. Mr. Lupu is the ruling Alliance for European Integration's candidate.

Mr. Stoicov said during a television program that he has never received any threats, has never been blackmailed, and that he is not aware of any of his colleagues being subjected to this type of pressure. „These are serious accusations. I do not know what Mr. Munteanu meant to say,” Mr. Stoicov adds.

Mr. Stoicov's statement comes as the Party of Communists is showing increasing signs of internal conflict over the election of the President. A few days ago, Communist M.P. Vladimir Turcan sent a letter to Party of Communists head and former President Vladimir Voronin (2001-2009), asking him to vote for a head of state and thusly avoid early elections. Mr. Voronin has been very reluctant to accept Mr. Turcan's arguments.

In addition, Communist M.P. Victor Stepaniuc has said that he would be willing to vote for a President as long as it was not Mr. Lupu. The Communists have been very critical of Marian Lupu ever since he left them in April 2009, amid rumors that he was unpleased with the fact that the Communist leadership refused to nominate him for President.

The PC nominated then-Prime Minister Zinaida Greceanii instead. Ms. Greceanii received 60 votes during the two election rounds, which was one short of the 61 necessary to elect a President.

Numerous analysts in Chisinau have said that rifts within the PC, which between 2001 and 2009 became notorious for being somewhat of a monolith, have now become visible. Some, like Jurnal de Chisinau's Petru Bogatu, have predicted that the Communists could splinter into a few groups.

The PC also seems to have fallen out of favor with Moscow after Russian President Dmitri Medvedev visited Chisinau during the Commonwealth of Independent States summit earlier in October and met with Marian Lupu. Russian media outlets wrote at the time that Vladimir Voronin had asked for a meeting but that the Russian head of state declined.