Romania President Suggests Final Break With Voronin

Romanian President Traian Basescu has said that Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin can no longer count on his support, RFE/RL's Moldovan Service reports.

Basescu was speaking on Romanian state radio soon after the results of the July 29 elections in neighboring Moldova suggested that Voronin's long-ruling Communists had lost their majority in parliament to a pro-European assortment of challengers.

As those parties scrambled to try and form a governing coalition, it was apparent that while they might constitute a majority they would not control the 61 legislative seats required to elect a president.

"Voronin might remember that I helped him form a majority after elections in the past," Basescu said, "but this time Voronin will not have my support to build a majority in parliament and elect [Moldova's] president."

Basescu did not explain how he "helped" Voronin, who has been in power since 2001.

Relations between the two leaders became tense after Basescu wished Moldova's opposition parties success in the parliamentary elections and promised fast-track citizenship for hundreds of thousands of Moldovans who are of Romanian descent.

Voronin has repeatedly accused Romania of fomenting unrest in his country and of planning to "absorb" it.

Most of Moldova was part of Romania until World War II.

rferl.org