Moldovan communists plan to hold a referendum on a vote of no confidence against acting President Mihai Ghimpu and the acting government, communist deputy Vadim Mishin said on Wednesday.

The ex-Soviet country, the poorest in Europe, has been locked in political turmoil since last year's parliamentary polls in which the pro-Western coalition narrowly defeated the communists. The inability of the new legislature to elect a new president has contributed to Moldova's severe economic crisis.

The Moldovan Constitution requires the dissolution of parliament and a fresh general election if lawmakers fail twice to elect a new president. Two new parliaments failed last year to elect a president, and under the constitution another general election cannot be held until the fall.

Communist opponents in parliament plan to hold a referendum to amend election rules and make nominating a new president easier. "There will be no early parliamentary elections in Moldova. We will have a new constitution," Ghimpu, who is the parliamentary speaker, said live on Moldovan TV.

Moldovan communists have already called this decision a "collusion" and "usurpation of power." Moreover, they promised to boycott future sessions of the Moldovan parliament.

To become president, a candidate needs 61 votes in the 101-seat chamber, but neither of the country's two major political forces currently has enough MPs to secure a supermajority, and neither has been willing to compromise on its candidate.

The situation in Moldova remains strained because the ruling liberal-democracy party and the communist bloc are unable to find a joint solution to solve the problem.

CHISINAU, March 10 (RIA Novosti)