Moldova's pro-Western ruling coalition today proposed Sept. 5 as the date for a referendum to decide how the state president should be elected, according to Reuters. The ex-Soviet republic, one of Europe's poorest states, has been without a president since last September and the four-party Alliance for European Integration says a referendum is the only way out of the political impasse. The Sept. 5 date has now to be put to parliament for approval, but it seems likely to be accepted without a problem since it will only require a simple majority of votes which the Alliance has. The Alliance wants to end the present system by which the president, the most powerful figure in the country, is elected by parliament and have him elected by a popular vote instead. The Alliance has twice attempted to have its candidate elected through the parliamentary procedure but has been frustrated each time by the powerful opposition Communists. The government, announcing the date, did not say how the question would be formulated in the proposed referendum. It said the present parliament would be dissolved after the referendum and new parliamentary elections held possibly in November.
