'Setback' for Moldovan Communists

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Voting has ended in Moldova's parliamentary election, with an exit poll suggesting a slump in support for the ruling Communist Party.

It was the second parliamentary election in four months, with memories still fresh of the violence that followed the first poll.

An exit poll by the Institute of Public Politics put the Communists on 41.7% - not enough to elect a president.

Opposition parties claim the April vote was rigged in favour of the Communists.

The result, in Europe's poorest country, prompted thousands of people to take to the streets, clashing with police and storming parliament.

Assessments of April's vote were mixed. Some international observers reported flaws but others found it generally fair.

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The outgoing Communist President, Vladimir Voronin, who is standing down after two terms in office, has said the Moldovan security forces will not allow violence after this election.

More than 3,000 foreign and Moldovan observers were supposed to be monitoring Wednesday's re-run, though one group pulled its 140 monitors out because some were barred, causing a storm of protest.

The Central Electoral Committee said the voting rate was ahead of that in April, and that a third of voters had posted ballots by early afternoon.

The Communist Party won only 60 of parliament's 101 seats in April - one short of the 61 seats needed to elect a new president. The opposition parties united to make sure the 61 target was not met, forcing parliament to be dissolved.

Coalition pledge

Opinion polls this month suggested a drop in support for the Communists.

One voter, 19-year-old Sasha from the capital Chisinau, said: "I am for the Communists. They create a certain stability. We can't continue like this, with demonstrations and repeat elections."

But Andreea Gaibu, 28, said: "We urgently need change. We need a free press and a free economy."

In Wednesday's vote, at least three opposition parties hope to join the Communist Party in parliament - the Liberal Party, the Liberal Democratic Party and the Our Moldova Alliance.

They have pledged to create a ruling coalition if they collectively gain enough votes.

They have also said that they will co-operate with the Communist Party in the new parliament if the "early election is fair, democratic and transparent".

Mr Voronin's successor will lead a country where the average wage is just under $250 (£151) a month, and will inherit an unresolved conflict over the breakaway region of Trans-Dniester.