Thousands of people clashed with police in Moldova as protests against the outcome of the parliamentary elections turned violent on April 7.

Reports from capital Chisinau claimed that at least 50 people, both protesters and police officers, have been injured. One person was reported dead, Romanian broadcaster Realitatea TV said.

About 30 000 people, mostly students, gathered in the centre of capital Chisinau and stormed the presidency and parliament buildings. Police in riot gear used tear gas and water cannons against the crowd, which pelted them with rocks.

Later, the police withdrew and allowed the protesters take over the two government buildings. Several fires have broken out in the two buildings.

The protests began with a candle vigil flash mob on April 6, a day after the ruling Communist Party won 50 per cent of the vote, but three opposition parties that won seats in parliament said that the elections were rigged. Dorin Chirtoaca, mayor of Chisinau and vice-president of the Liberal Party, told Realitatea TV that authorities encouraged multiple voting, but did so in a way that international observers could not detect it.

The crowd chanted anti-Communist slogans and hoisted the European Union flag on top of the presidency building, images broadcast by Romanian television channels showed. Moldovan state-owned television ignored the protests and some reports claimed internet access and phone coverage was patchy in the city.

An exception was made to broadcast a short speech by outgoing president Vladimir Voronin, who said that the "vandalism was well organised, well thought and well paid" by outside forces.

It was later reported that Voronin began talks with leaders of the three opposition parties who are projected to win a combined 40 seats in the 101-seat parliament. Opposition leaders said they were could not order protesters because they were not the ones organising the rally.

After the talks, Chirtoaca told Realitatea TV that the Communists agreed to a vote recount, but the ruling party said it was up to the election authorities to decide whether to annul the vote.

EU chief diplomat Javier Solana said he was "concerned" by the developments in Chisinau and called all sides to "refrain from violence". In a statement he said: "International election observers noted in their preliminary findings that the elections met manyinternational standards and commitments, but that further improvements were required to ensure an electoral process free from undue administrative interference and to increase public confidence."

During Voronin's second term as president, he warmed up to the idea of closer ties with the EU, where hundreds of thousands of Moldovans live as expatriate workers. But as a former Soviet republic, the country is seen as firmly in the Russian sphere of influence and Russian troops remain in the break-away region of Transnistria on the border with Ukraine. "We are following the situation with concern," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin said, as quoted by Interfax and Reuters news agencies.