The May 2 sitting of Parliament was put off until Friday, May 3, at the request of the Communist faction. The leader of the PCRM Vladimir Voronin said that they need time to examine the candidate for Speaker, IPN reports.

Last week, Marian Lupu was dismissed from the post of Head of Parliament by the votes of the Liberal-Democratic, Communist, reform-seeking Liberal MPs and the members of the groups of Dodon and Misin. The lawmakers also adopted amendments to the Parliament Regulations, which provide that the powers of Speaker, in his absence, pass on to an interim Speaker named from among the Deputy Heads of Parliament.

The Democratic MPs and the Liberals who support Mihai Ghimpu said the sittings cannot be chaired by Deputy Speaker Liliana Palihovici because Marian Lupu didn’t transfer his powers to her before his dismissal.