Young Moldovan anti-Communists storm parliament

Thousands of young protesters vowed to resume mass rallies Wednesday after storming Moldova's parliament and presidency in a rally against a Communist election victory that boiled over into violence.

Outgoing Communist President Vladimir Voronin accused protestors of trying to organise a "coup d'etat" after protesters on Tuesday seized the buildings, lighting bonfires with furniture and computers thrown out of the parliament building's windows.

Moldova's ruling Communists, the first Communist Party to win power in the former Soviet Union, swept weekend legislative elections by winning half the vote in Europe's poorest country, according to official estimates.

But the liberal opposition has denounced the results as flawed and around 15,000 mostly young demonstrators turned out in the streets Tuesday for a second day.

The rally turned violent, with protestors hurling stones at the presidency and burning Communist flags.

Police used water cannon and tear gas but protestors still managed to enter the presidency and hoisted a European Union flag.

They also dragged and tossed furniture out of the parliament building and set it on fire, filling the air with thick black smoke.

Some 100 people including both protestors and police were injured in clashes, the head doctor at Chisinau's emergency hospital told AFP.

Protesters dispersed only closer to midnight, vowing to return in the morning. Less than 500 remained in the square before the government building, drinking, singing songs and laughing, but soon left.

Police troops then seized back the parliament building, arrested some dozen protesters who lagged behind and dispersed those remaining on the square.

Voronin, who had been due to step down on Tuesday after serving a maximum two consecutive terms, warned protestors the government would respond forcefully to violence.

"We will show that in Moldova there is a power which will act strongly to protect the country's statehood from a handful of fascists drunk on anger trying to cause a coup d'etat," he said in a televised address.

Voronin also called on "Western structures to intervene in resolving this situation," hitting out at protesters for their "uncivilized methods, involving violence, acts of vandalism in state offices and profanation of state symbols."

He reminded a gathering of foreign ambassadors that international monitors from the OSCE had "found the April 5 elections free and fair."

The opposition, although taken aback by protests initiated by youth groups rather than established political factions, vowed that such actions would continue until their demands were met.

Vlad Filat, leader of the Liberal Democrats, said he and other liberal opposition leaders later held talks with the government but failed to reach agreement on their main demand for a recount of the election.

"We have not received an official answer. Therefore our action will continue and we call on our supporters to behave in a civilised fashion and not give into provocation."

Moldova is a predominantly agricultural country of 4.3 million people where the average monthly wage is only 253 dollars. Over a quarter of its active population works abroad and their remittances are vital for its economy.





AP/Ron Edmonds

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