You're reading: Moldova remains without presidential candidate so far

The deadline for the registration of Moldova's presidential candidates expires at 7 p.m. local time (9 p.m. Moscow time) on Thursday.

"None of the potential candidates has thus far filed an application for registration. We will be waiting until 7 p.m. hoping we will have a presidential candidate after all and the elections set for January 15 will take place," the chairman of the parliamentary commission for presidential elections, Tudor Deliu, told Interfax on Thursday.

The opposition Party of Communists on Wednesday proposed ex-national bank chairman Leonid Talmach for president, earlier reports said.

The Communists argued that Talmach, 50, could become a compromise candidate, not affiliated with any party, that would be supported by both the opposition and the parliamentary majority – the Alliance for European Integration.

Meanwhile, political analyst Oazu Nantoi told the press on Wednesday that he would run as a candidate and that he had discussed this prospect with Prime Minister Vlad Filat and other leaders of the governing Alliance for European Integration.

"Their reaction was moderately positive. I remain an optimist and I hope that I will secure the parliamentary deputies’ support and go ahead with my self-nomination," Nantoi said.

Moldova’s presidential elections are due to be held on January 15 2012.

The previous attempts to elect a president fell through in the absence of candidates or due to a lack of votes.

Sixty-one vote is needed to approve a presidential nominee. The governing Alliance for European Integration has 59 votes.

If no president is elected again, the parliament will have to be disbanded and early parliamentary elections called.