Europe's last Communist government fell yesterday after defeat in Moldova's general election.

A majority in favour of four pro-European parties brought a political era to a close as the ideology of Marx and Lenin, that once ruled the lives of people from Berlin to Vladivostok, passed into the history books.

The pro-Europeans won almost 51 per cent of the vote, giving them the opportunity to form a coalition government, and end eight years of Communist control.

They fell short, however, of the total needed to guarantee a non-Communist President in place of the outgoing strongman Vladimir Voronin, who has controlled Europe's poorest country since 2001.

The result, which surprised many observers, appeared to wreck Mr Voronin's plan to install a pliable successor as President and emulate Vladimir Putin in Russia by continuing to run the country from another key position.

Mr Voronin had been expected to become Speaker of Parliament after his two terms ended, running the country with the support of a Communist majority.

Instead, his pro-Russian Communist Party gained only 48 of the parliament's 101 seats after winning 45 per cent in an election that was re-run after violent protests against alleged ballot rigging in April. The Communists emerged with 50 per cent of the vote and 60 seats in that election.

The pro-Western opposition, which wants to build closer ties with the European Union and Nato, gained 53 seats, according to Moldova's Central Election Commission. Their share is likely to rise once votes are redistributed from three parties that failed to reach the five per cent barrier for entry into parliament.

The result is a blow to the Kremlin, which had backed Mr Voronin and offered his government a $500 million loan to bail out Moldova's struggling economy.

Moscow retains a trump card in restraining the westward tilt of its former Soviet satellite, however, because of Moldova's breakaway pro-Russian region of Transdniestr.

No voting took place in Transdniestr, which has been under separatist control since 1992 and is patrolled by Russian peacekeeping troops.

Jubilant opposition leaders said that they would begin the process of negotiating a coalition.

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