Communists seek to secure power in Moldova

CHISINAU (Reuters) - Outgoing Moldovan Communist President Vladimir Voronin hopes to hold onto the reins of power on Thursday when a loyal protegee makes a last bid to secure the succession in a vote by parliament.

A second failure by Prime Minister Zinaida Greceanii, a Voronin loyalist, to win the presidency would trigger new parliamentary elections a month after polls marred by violent protests and opposition accusations of communist vote rigging.

The result may be close, Greceanii having lacked just one vote last week.

Voronin, presiding over a largely agricultural economy in Europe's poorest country, has served two terms as president and cannot stand for a third. But he has made clear he wants to remain in a position of power in the ex-Soviet state, through his handpicked candidate.

Parliament elected Voronin, 67, as its speaker two weeks ago, furnishing him with the formal foothold he needs. Some have suggested he may play a role similar to that of Russia's former president Vladimir Putin, who as prime minister exerts influence alongside his chosen successor Dmitry Medvedev.

The economy of Moldova, wedged between Ukraine and Romania, has suffered acutely from the world economic downturn, as remittances from Moldovans working abroad have tumbled. The country also faces an intractable conflict in Transdniestria, a strip of land bordering Ukraine whose Russian-speakers separated from Moldova in Soviet times.

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Three opposition parties, liberal and pro-European in outlook, hold a combined total of 41 seats in the 60-seat parliament. They say the April 5 election to parliament was fraudulent and intend to boycott Thursday's ballot again.

"Dialogue with the Communists is impossible and irrelevant. We do not recognise the (parliamentary) election results stolen by the Communists," said Dorin Chirtoaca, mayor of Chisinau and deputy head of the Liberal party.

"The Moldovan opposition is united and will continue to strive for an early parliamentary election to the end."

Young protesters ransacked the presidential and parliamentary buildings after the April 5 election, seeing few prospects if Voronin and his Communists -- in power since 2001 -- remained in power.

Moldova shares a linguistic and historical legacy with Romania, but also has longstanding ties with Russia. Voronin made a career in the Moscow-based Soviet Communist Party apparat before the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991.

The government says industrial production sank 24 percent in the first quarter of 2009. Global financial crisis has reduced by a third remittances from hundreds of thousands of Moldovans working abroad.

(Editing by Ralph Boulton)