Parliament in Moldova said on Wednesday it would hold a presidential election on May 20.
A resolution named the date one day after outgoing Communist President Vladimir Voronin was elected parliament speaker, a position from which he hopes to remain in a position of power.
Voronin, in power since 2001, cannot run for a third term in Moldova, where parliament elects the president.
The Communists won 60 of 101 seats in last month's election and were due to name their candidate for the presidential poll later in the day. They remain one seat short of the 61 needed to elect a president and three opposition parties -- with a combined total of 41 seats -- has vowed to boycott the poll.
The outcome of last month's election sparked mass protests, with young demonstrators unhappy at the result of the vote, ransacking parliament and the president's office. Reuters
