Moldovan gov't collapses in confidence vote

The vote raises questions about whether the former Soviet republic will move away from the European Union — which the government has been working toward joining for the past two years — and seek closer relations with Moscow.

Some 54 lawmakers voted to oust the government of reformist Prime Minister Vlad Filat, after his main partner in the Alliance for European Integration broke away over a battle to control the justice system.

Filat, 43, who became prime minister in January 2011, has moved this impoverished nation of 4.1 million closer to Europe. Moldova is one of Europe's poorest nations, with an average monthly salary of some $230. Some 600,000 Moldovans work abroad, mainly in EU countries and Russia.

Hundreds gathered outside the Parliament before the vote, cheering Filat's government and booing lawmakers. They held posters, one reading: "We want European integration."

Part of Romania until 1940 when it was annexed to the Soviet Union, the country has been marked by political uncertainty in recent years. Tens of thousands protested elections they say were rigged by the Communists in 2009. Four people died, hundreds were injured and demonstrators ransacked the Parliament and the president's office. The pro-European alliance which then came to power was unable to muster enough votes in Parliament for a president for almost two years.