Vladimir Voronin

Vladímir Nicolae Voronin (in Russian, Владимир Николаевич Воронин; Corjova, Transnistria, Romania, May 25, 1941) is a Moldovan politician, President of his country between April 7, 2001 and September 11, 2009.

Biography

He is a communist and pro-Russian. During his rule, the teaching of the Russian language was reintroduced as a compulsory subject in Moldovan schools. He is also known for his controversial eloquence against Romania. Voronin belongs to the Communist Party of the Republic of Moldova.

Events of 2009 and resignation

After the parliamentary elections held on April 5, 2009, the Communist Party of the Republic of Moldova won 49.48% of the vote and won sixty seats, one less than needed to elect a President. Voronin was elected Speaker of the Parliament and retained the presidency of Moldova on an interim basis. The 2009 police crisis and riots in Moldova confronted society, with the communists failing to secure the necessary additional vote from among the forty-one deputies from three opposition parties; a new parliamentary election was necessary.

In the 2009 Moldovan parliamentary election, the Communist Party of the Republic of Moldova won 44.69% of the vote, which is more than any other party, and won forty-eight seats, but lost its parliamentary majority before a coalition of opposition parties. However, the opposition was also unable to win enough seats to elect a president, leading to further political uncertainty. On September 2, 2009, Voronin announced that he intended to resign, saying that his position as acting president had become "ambiguous and dubious." The president sent a letter to parliament confirming his intention to resign. Mihai Ghimpu succeeded Voronin as acting president until a president was elected.