Moldovan Premier Says Early Elections 'Unavoidable'

CHISINAU -- Moldovan Prime Minister Vlad Filat has warned that early elections are "unavoidable" despite his government's attempts to prolong its six-month tenure, RFE/RL's Moldovan Service reports.

The country's parliament has already failed to elect a new head of state twice and is bound by the constitution to be dissolved by mid-June and for new elections to be called.

Filat's ruling coalition of four pro-Western parties -- who face fierce opposition in parliament from the Communists they ousted in elections last summer -- had been seeking to change the constitution through a referendum in an effort to avoid the early elections.

But Filat said on March 17 that his government would follow the Venice Commission stance rather than risk losing its credibility abroad.

Last week, the commission urged Chisinau to hold early elections rather than to hastily change the constitution and set a precedent that the commission warned could undermine the country's long-term stability.

Analysts say Filat's coalition could fare poorly in new polls due in large part to unpopular reforms it has promoted under pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which has granted crisis-hit Moldova a $500 million loan.