Former Moldova President Vladimir Voronin said his Communist Party was preparing for early parliamentary elections next year, indicating that Moldova’s parliament will not elect a new president for the country Monday.

“Unfortunately, we do not see any other alternative,” Voronin told journalists Friday.

The parliament will vote Monday on the only candidate for president — Marian Lupu, 43, who represents the governing Western-leaning coalition.

But the coalition’s slim majority means Lupu can be elected only if some opposition Communists break ranks. Despite rumors of party dissidents, Voronin’s comments signaled that the Communists have decided to boycott the ballot as they did in a Nov. 10 vote.

If that happens, much-needed reforms will be put on hold as the country embarks on campaigning for an election next fall, analysts and politicians say.

“The year 2010 will be a lost year for the country,” Lupu said late last month.

Lupu carries a handicap that will weigh against him on election day. A Communist defector, he is a regular target for public abuse by Voronin, who has denounced him as a “traitor.” He sees EU membership for Moldova as a long-term goal.

But he has won backing from Russia, which provides Moldova with crucial gas supplies, by emphasizing the need for a “balanced” foreign policy and opposing any move to join NATO.

(Reuters, MT)