Moldova president says protesters seek violent coup

By Dmitry Chubashenko and Sabina Zawadzki

CHISINAU (Reuters) - Moldova's president accused the opposition of attempting a violent coup on Tuesday after protesters denouncing his ruling Communist party's election victory ransacked his offices and parliament.

As many as 10,000 demonstrators massed for a second straight day in the capital of Europe's poorest country after President Vladimir Voronin's party scored a big victory in a weekend parliamentary election the opposition say was rigged.

Voronin called on the West to help restore order in the capital, Russian news agencies reported, after protesters overwhelmed riot police and seized the president's offices and parliament amid widespread looting.

They waved Moldovan, Romanian and European Union flags from the roof of the building where Voronin -- the only Communist president in Europe -- has his offices. One woman died and dozens of people were injured.

"Everything that they have undertaken in the last 24 hours cannot be described as anything other than a coup d'etat," Voronin said in a television address.

"The authorities in Moldova will not allow groups of fascists intoxicated with hatred to trample on our democracy," he said, adding that opposition leaders had "embarked on the path of violent seizure of power."

Opposition leaders condemned the violence and demanded a new election. They denied reports by Russian news agencies that the authorities had agreed to a recount in the elections.

Official results put the Communists in front with close to 50 percent of the vote. Most of the protesters were students who see no future if Communists keep their hold on the ex-Soviet state of 4 million people.

By the end of the day, about 5,000 people were still massed outside the parliament building.

A former interior minister, Voronin has overseen stability and growth since 2001, but he has been unable to resolve an 18-year-old separatist rebellion in the Russian-speaking region Transdniestria, where Russia has had troops since Soviet times.

CALLS FOR CALM

Kremlin Chief Dmitry Medvedev, who had congratulated Voronin on his party's election win, called for a speedy and calm resolution of the situation.

The European Union and the United States urged an end to the violence. "What's important here is that ... people desist from any type of violent activity. That doesn't help anything," U.S. State Department spokesman Robert Wood told reporters in Washington.

Moldova, wedged between Ukraine and Romania on the edge of the European Union, is in what Russia sees as its sphere of influence. Moldova said it was recalling its ambassador to Romania for consultations on the situation.

Wood said Washington's view of the poll was "generally positive," but added that the State Department had not yet completed its assessment of the election's fairness.

Opposition leaders called for a halt to the violence after protesters hurled computers into the street and heaped tables and chairs onto a bonfire outside parliament. Fires lit inside the building were still raging late at night.

One man was seen by Reuters reporters walking away from parliament with a television, computer keyboard and bundles of files. Children were wandering inside the presidential building.

Moldovan state television said a young woman choked to death from carbon monoxide poisoning in the parliament building.

It cited a senior doctor at Chisinau emergency hospital as saying 34 protesters had been injured, two of whom were in serious condition. Some 80 police officers also received treatment for injuries, it said.

The leaders of three opposition parties that won seats in parliament held talks with the president and prime minister.

"We must stop this violence," said Dorin Chirtoaca, leader of the Liberal Party and mayor of Chisinau. "We must secure the right to a recount of all the votes. And we demanded the right to stage peaceful protests."

Vlad Filat of the Liberal Democrats said the opposition, which stands broadly for closer ties with neighboring Romania, was demanding the right to check all electoral lists.

"As a result of this, I can assure you that the elections were rigged and we will organize a new election."

(Additional reporting by Dmitry Solovyov in Moscow; writing by Guy Faulconbridge; editing by Tim Pearce)

Terra/Reuters