Moldovan Constitutional Court to consider vote recount

CHISINAU, April 11 (RIA Novosti) - Moldova's Constitutional Court is to consider on Saturday Communist Party leader Vladimir Voronin's request for a recount of the vote in the April 5 parliamentary elections, the court chairman said.

Voronin said that only a recount would allow Moldova to find a way out of the current political deadlock, and restore an atmosphere of stability and trust in the work of the newly elected parliament.

The Moldovan leader said in his Friday's statement to the Constitutional Court: "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."

The Moldovan opposition is unhappy with the results of last Sunday's elections that saw the Communist Party led by the president win almost 50% of the vote.

According to the country's 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 the outbreaks of violence and attempts to undermine the democratic process, and urge a resolution to the problems exclusively by legal means," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.