CHISINAU, October 5 (RIA Novosti) - Moldova's parliament will vote to elect a new president of the former Soviet republic on October 23 or 26, a leader of the ruling Alliance for European Integration said on Monday.

The statement by Marian Lupu, the leader of the Moldovan Democratic Party and the expected presidential nominee, followed a meeting of senior lawmakers.

Parliament Speaker Mihai Ghimpu said an election commission was expected to be established during a parliamentary meeting on Wednesday.

Under Moldovan law, the president is elected by the parliament, with at least 61 votes required in the 101-member body.

The political situation in Moldova remains strained six months after parliamentary elections won by the Communist Party set off mass disturbances in Moldova's capital, Chisinau. Protesters, claiming that the election was flawed, attacked the parliament and presidential administration buildings.

Although the vote was upheld, the opposition forced new elections by boycotting the two parliamentary votes on a new president, leaving the Communists' candidate one vote short of confirmation and causing the dissolution of the parliament.

The snap elections on July 29 gave the Communist Party 48 seats, 12 fewer than they won in the April 5 elections.

The Alliance for European Integration, including the Democratic Party, the Liberal Democratic Party, the Liberal Party and the Our Moldova Alliance, has 53 seats, raising the possibility that without the support of eight Communist MPs their presidential nominee will fall short of the required votes, plunging the country into a fresh political crisis.