Moldova's parliament ousted pro-Western Prime Minister Valeriu Strelet on Thursday, prolonging political turmoil in the impoverished former Soviet country, dpa reported. The legislature ruled with a two-thirds majority vote of no-confidence against Strelet, who had pushed for closer ties with the European Union. Moldova, a relatively small state wedged between Ukraine and Romania, is fiercely divided between ambitions for EU integration and allegiances with its former Soviet ruler, Moscow. Strelet, a career politician, was prime minister for only three months - about a month longer than his predecessor, who resigned after allegations that he forged his high school diploma. Strelet warned last month during mass protests over a banking scandal that if he also left office, the country would further destabilize. Moldova's economy was crippled last year when a billion dollars - about one-eighth of the gross domestic product - went missing from local banks during the run-up to parliamentary elections. -- SPA 03:43 LOCAL TIME 00:43 GMT تغريد
