The parliament of Moldova decided to put off the presidential election from Thursday until June 3, according to reports by the official Moldpres news agency reaching here Thursday.

The 101-member parliament should have held a second round of voting to elect a new president on Thursday, but Vladimir Voronin, the outgoing president and Communist Party leader, proposed the postponement.

The proposal was approved by all 60 lawmakers from the Communists, while the opposition's 41 deputies refused to participate.

The Moldovan parliament failed on May 20 to elect a new president, as Acting Prime Minister Zinaida Grecianii mustered 60 votes, short of one vote to be elected head of state.

The opposition, which has 41 seats in parliament, did not participate in the election. The ruling Party of Communists holds 60 mandates.

Under the Moldova constitution, at least 61 votes are required for electing a president. If no candidate gets the required votes, a new round of balloting will be held within 15 days.

In case that the second attempt fails too, Acting President Voronin will dissolve the parliament and call a snap parliamentary election.

The Communists, who have 60 seats in the new parliament, are one seat away from being able to guarantee victory for their presidential candidate.

Violence broke out in the Moldovan capital of Chisinau in early April after the Central Election Commission announced the ruling Communist Party won a landslide victory in the April 5 parliamentary election. The opposition claimed the vote was rigged and protesters stormed the parliament and the presidential building.