CHISINAU, September 1 (RIA Novosti) - The Communist Party of Moldova appealed on Tuesday to the country's Constitutional Court to review the election of Mihai Ghimpu as the new speaker of parliament, a Communist MP said.
Liberal Party leader Ghimpu, who has in the past openly supported the country's unification with Romania, was elected speaker on August 28.
The Communists exercised their right to have 10 days for consideration and parliamentary party formation and asked for the break in the session until September 4. However, the four-party alliance For European Integration went ahead with the vote and all 53 members backed for Ghimpu.
"We ask Constitutional Court to examine the constitutionality of this decision," Tsurkan said.
The Communists, who have held power since 2001, walked out of the first meeting of the new parliament, saying they would protest against the vote in court.
The Communists won 60 seats in the April election, which triggered violent protests in the capital, Chisinau. The opposition twice blocked the election of the presidential candidate proposed by Voronin leading to the July 29 polls.
With just 48 seats, July's elections saw the ruling Communist Party lose their majority and the emergence of a pro-Europe alliance of four parties that took control of the 101 member house.
The new parliament must now elect a new president, but with 61 votes required and Communist leader Vladimir Voronin refusing to hold talks with the coalition, the process of forming a government could be derailed before it has even started.
The Communists, led by acting President Voronin, who is due to step down after two terms in office, have enough votes to block any presidential candidate, forcing the dissolution of parliament and new elections.
Under the Moldovan constitution, however, parliament can only be dissolved twice in a year, which rules out any more elections until 2010 following polls earlier in April.
