Voronin, Vladimir [key], 1941–, Moldovan political leader. Voronin rose through the ranks of the Communist party in what was then the USSR's Moldavian SSR to become the republic's interior minister (1989–90). Head of the Communist party of independent Moldova from 1994, he was first elected to parliament in 1998, and after the party's victory in 2001 was elected president. He was reelected in 2005. His presidency was marked by improved relations with Russia (and strong Moldovan opposition to proposed pro-Russian-language moves in his first term) and a continuing failure to resolve the Trans-Dniester Region situation. He remained on as acting president after the divisive, contested election of Apr., 2009, but after the Communists lost their parliamentary majority in the subsequent August vote, he resigned (September).
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