Alliance candidate is the only person running for President, Communists refuse to nominate someone

Democratic Party head Marian Lupu is the only candidate running for President on November 10. Ion Plesca, head of the Committee for the Presidential Election, told Stirea Zilei that Mr. Lupu is the only person who registered by the deadline.

Mr. Lupu is the ruling Alliance for European Integration's candidate. The opposition Party of Communists has said it refuses to nominate anyone or vote for Mr. Lupu.

Parliament recently changed the law on the presidential election, allowing the vote to be validated even if only one candidate runs for office.

The Alliance has a slim majority of 53 seats in the Parliament, which is eight short of the 61 votes it needs to elect Mr. Lupu. Those votes can only come from the Communists, who have been rather adamant about their refusal to vote.

If Parliament fails to elect a head of state, early elections will be called in 2010.

A recent poll suggests that the four parties making up the Alliance could get a majority again.