Moldova: Parliament Speaker's election affirmed

Moldova's Constitutional Court has thrown out a complaint from the Communist Party against the election of Mihai Ghimpu as speaker of the country's new parliament.

The decision opens the way for the pro-Western opposition to increase its power.

According to Moldova's Constitution, Ghimpu could now take over the presidency of the country until a new head of state is elected by parliament to replace outgoing Communist veteran Vladimir Voronin.

Voronin pledged last week to resign the presidency by September 14 and remain a deputy in parliament.

The four pro-Western parties that won a majority of votes in the July 29 election need eight votes from the Communists to be able to elect a new president.

It is widely believed that their candidate will be Marian Lupu, a Communist defector who now leads the Democratic Party.

If parliament fails to elect a new president, then Moldova will head into fresh elections, probably early next year.