Moldovan president calls for recount of poll results - 2

(Adds Constitutional Court's statement in para 3, details in para 4)

CHISINAU, April 10 (RIA Novosti) - Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin asked on Friday the country's Constitutional Court to order a recount of the results of the April 5 parliamentary polls, won by his Communist Party.

"I am convinced that a full election recount in line with existing legislation and procedures will become an important factor in establishing political stability, peace and mutual trust in the Moldovan Republic," Voronin said in a statement to the Constitutional Court.

The Constitutional Court said it could consider the presidential request to recount the ballots within 24 hours of receiving the official election results. Moldova's Central Election Commission earlier said it planned to submit the protocols to the court on Friday or Sunday.

According to the Central Election Commission, four parties made it to parliament, with 49.48% of voters casting ballots for the Communist Party. The opposition Liberal party, Liberal Democratic party and Our Moldova alliance received 13.14%, 12.43% and 9.77% of the vote, respectively.

Protests against Sunday's election results turned violent in the Moldovan capital of Chisinau on Tuesday as some 10,000 demonstrators seized control of the presidential office and parliament building. Some 170 police officers and more than 100 civilians were injured in the clashes. The protesters had demanded a recount of the election results, which they claimed were rigged.

However, international observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the European Parliament, the Council of Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States have acknowledged that the election was democratic and fair.

Voronin is due to step down on May 7, but his party won just enough seats in parliament in the polls to be able to elect a successor without requiring votes from any other party.

The Moldovan president has accused the opposition of betraying the interests of the country and attempting to trigger a civil war during disturbances in Chisinau. He also accused Romania of inciting the violence in the capital.

CIS foreign ministers condemned the riots during a meeting in the Turkmen capital of Ashgabat on Friday. "We condemned outbreaks of violence and attempts to undermine the democratic process, and urged the resolution of problems exclusively by legal means," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.