Moldova's overwhelmingly Communist parliament today elected party leader Mr Vladimir Voronin as the country's new president, making him the first Communist president of a former Soviet state.
Mr Voronin was backed by 71 deputies in the 101-member parliament.
Moldova's Communists were swept to power this year, giving them solid control of what had been a fragmented parliament. The president's role is largely ceremonial but the vote was seen as a key to constitutional reform and bringing political stability to one of Europe's poorest countries.
