Vladimir Voronin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Vladimir Voronin
|
|
|---|---|
Voronin in 2024
|
|
| Member of the Moldovan Parliament | |
| Assumed office 23 July 2021 |
|
| Parliamentary group | Bloc of Communists and Socialists |
| In office 22 April 2009 – 9 March 2019 |
|
| Parliamentary group | Party of Communists |
| In office 17 March 2005 – 8 April 2005 |
|
| Succeeded by | Alexandru Jdanov |
| Parliamentary group | Party of Communists |
| In office 9 April 1998 – 18 April 2001 |
|
| Succeeded by | Valeriu Burca |
| Parliamentary group | Party of Communists |
| President of the Party of Communists | |
| Assumed office 24 December 1994 |
|
| 3rd President of Moldova | |
| In office 7 April 2001 – 11 September 2009 |
|
| Prime Minister | Dumitru Braghiș Vasile Tarlev Zinaida Greceanîi |
| Preceded by | Petru Lucinschi |
| Succeeded by | Mihai Ghimpu |
| President of the Moldovan Parliament | |
| In office 12 May 2009 – 14 August 2009 |
|
| President | Himself |
| Prime Minister | Zinaida Greceanîi |
| Deputy | Vladimir Țurcan Grigore Petrenco |
| Preceded by | Marian Lupu |
| Succeeded by | Mihai Ghimpu |
| Minister of Internal Affairs of the Moldavian SSR | |
| In office 17 February 1989 – 24 May 1990 |
|
| Premier | Ivan Calin Petru Pascari |
| Preceded by | Gheorghe Lavranciuc |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Vladimir Bujeniță
25 May 1941 Corjova, Moldavian SSR, Soviet Union (now Moldova) |
| Citizenship |  Moldova Russia |
| Political party | Communist Party of Moldova (Before 1991) Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (1993–present) |
| Spouse | Taisia Mihailovna |
| Children | Oleg Valentina |
| Alma mater | Cooperation College All-Union Institute for Food Industry Academy of Social Sciences Soviet Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs |
Vladimir Voronin (pronounced [vladiˈmir voˈronin]; born Vladimir Bujeniță, 25 May 1941) is a politician from Moldova. He served as the third President of Moldova from 2001 to 2009. Since 1994, he has been the leader of the Party of Communists of Moldova (PCRM). He was the first democratically elected communist party head of state in Europe after the end of the Eastern Bloc.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Vladimir Voronin was born as Vladimir Bujeniță in the village of Corjova. This area was part of the Moldavian SSR at the time. His biological father, Nicolae Bujeniță, passed away during World War II. Vladimir was raised by his stepfather, Nikolai Voronin.
Educational Background
Voronin studied at several institutions. He graduated from the Cooperation Tekhnikum (a type of technical college) in Chișinău in 1961. Later, he attended the All-Union Institute for Food Industry in 1971. He also studied at the Academy of Social Sciences and the Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Soviet Union. His studies gave him degrees in economics, engineering, political science, and law.
Starting His Career
Voronin began his career in 1961. He worked as the head of a bakery in Criuleni. From 1966 to 1971, he was the vice-director of a bread factory in Criuleni. He also led a bread factory in Dubăsari.
Roles in Government
After 1971, Voronin became active in the government of the Moldavian SSR. He served on executive committees in Dubăsari and Ungheni. In 1983, he became an inspector for the Moldavian branch of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. From 1985 to 1989, he was the first secretary of the Bender City Committee of the Communist Party.
Minister of Internal Affairs
Between 1988 and 1990, Voronin held the important role of Minister of Internal Affairs for the Moldovan SSR. During this time, he spoke against using force to stop anti-Soviet protests in November 1989. He later mentioned this in 2009 after anti-government protests were stopped by police.
Political Rise
In 1993, Voronin helped create the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM). He was very important in bringing the Communist Party back after it was banned. In 1994, he was chosen as the President of the PCRM.
Entering Parliament
Voronin ran for President of Moldova in 1996. In the parliamentary election in March 1998, he was elected as a Member of Parliament. He became a leader within the PCRM's group in Parliament. In 1999, he was suggested as Prime Minister of Moldova, but he did not get enough support from Parliament. He was re-elected as a Member of Parliament in February 2001.
Becoming President of Moldova
In the February 2001 election, the PCRM won 50.07% of the votes. This gave them 71 out of 101 seats in Parliament. At this time, the President was chosen by Parliament, not by popular vote. On April 4, 2001, Voronin was elected President by the Parliament. He was sworn in on April 7, 2001.
First Term as President
As President, Voronin focused on reducing poverty in Moldova. He put more money into healthcare, education, and increasing pensions and salaries. These actions helped him keep public support. However, Moldova remained one of the poorest countries in Europe during his time as president.
In 2002, there were large protests against some government ideas. These included expanding the use of the Russian language in schools. The government did not use force and worked with the Council of Europe to find solutions.
In 2003, Voronin's government decided not to sign a deal with Russia about the region of Transnistria. In 2004, he called the leaders of Transnistria "a criminal group." He also ordered an economic blockade of Transnistria after they closed some Romanian-speaking schools.
Second Term as President
In the March 2005 election, the PCRM won 46.1% of the votes. This gave them 56 seats. They needed 61 votes to elect a president. However, President Voronin got support from other parties. He promised to make needed reforms and work towards EU integration. On April 4, 2005, Voronin was re-elected President with 75 votes.
Main Goals as President
His main goals during his presidency included:
- Building closer ties with Russia and "integrating into Europe."
- Solving the Transnistria conflict.
- Working with the European Union (and joining if possible).
- Strongly opposing NATO membership.
- Keeping Moldova independent, not uniting with Romania.
Events of 2009 and Resignation
After the parliamentary election on April 5, 2009, the PCRM won 60 seats. This was one seat short of what was needed to elect a President. Voronin was elected Speaker of the Parliament. He remained President of Moldova in an interim role.
There were civil unrest in April 2009. The police actions against these protests upset many people. The communists could not get the extra vote they needed from other parties. This led to a new election.
In the snap parliamentary election in July 2009, the PCRM won the most votes, but they lost their majority in Parliament. A group of opposition parties formed a coalition with 53 seats. However, this group also could not get enough seats to elect a President. On September 2, 2009, Voronin announced he would resign. He said his position as acting President had become unclear. He officially resigned on September 11, 2009. Mihai Ghimpu took over as acting president.
After the Presidency
After leaving office, Vladimir Voronin continued to be an important political figure. In 2010, he and his wife returned their diplomatic passports.
Recent polls show that Vladimir Voronin is still one of the most trusted politicians in Moldova. In 2019, he was ranked among the top politicians with the highest trust from Moldovans.
In 2023, he spoke out against the authorities. He claimed that people were losing their right to free speech and expression. He mentioned that many TV channels and news websites had been closed.
Political Views
Voronin identifies as a left-wing politician. However, he holds strong traditional views on social issues. He is against immigration and the building of mosques in Moldova. He also does not support LGBT rights. Some of his public comments have been seen as controversial.
He believes that Moldovans and Romanians are different ethnic groups. Some of his statements have been considered anti-Romanian.
Relations with Russia
When Vladimir Voronin became President in 2001, he had a strong pro-Russian stance. He was against groups that wanted closer ties with Europe or unification with Romania. Russia's support helped him gain votes from Russian-speaking people in Moldova. This also included Moldovans working in Russia and people from the Gagauz region and Transnistria.
However, after winning, Voronin started to move Moldova towards European integration. He did not follow through on promises about the status of the Russian language. He also did not have constructive talks about Transnistria. Because of this, his relationship with Russia became less friendly.
In 2009, Voronin visited Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. At the time, Voronin was finishing his second presidential term. He hoped to become Speaker of Parliament. He likely wanted to convince Russia to help him get support from other Moldovan parties. This would prevent opposition groups who supported European integration from gaining power.
In 2013, Voronin spoke about the collapse of the Soviet Union. He supported Moldova joining the Russia-led Customs Union. He also criticized Moldovan leaders at the time. He accused them of being corrupt and not working to reunite Transnistria. He felt they were too influenced by international financial groups.
Voronin has led the Communist Party of Moldova for over twenty years. In 2015, he said that as president, he rejected Russia's plan to give more power to separatist Transnistria. He admitted that relations with Moscow had "cooled considerably" since then. He saw relations with Russia as a strategic partnership within the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States).
Personal Life
Vladimir Voronin is married to Taisia Mihailovna Voronina, who is Ukrainian. They have two children: a son named Oleg and a daughter named Valentina. Taisia works as a kindergarten manager. They were married on October 12, 1962.
Voronin holds the military rank of Major General from the former USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs. Some people believe he also has Russian citizenship. This is because he received a pension as a former Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs employee when he lived in Moscow.
His son, Oleg Voronin, is known as a successful businessman in Moldova. His daughter, Valentina, is a doctor and is not a public figure. In 2010, Voronin said that questions about his son's finances were an act of revenge by the authorities. Oleg was suspected of tax evasion and money laundering. However, the investigation was closed two years later due to a lack of evidence.
Vladimir Voronin is considered one of the wealthiest people in Moldova. There have been reports about his family owning properties in various countries. These include land in Moldova, and properties in places like Austria, Germany, and the Czech Republic. He is also known for his collection of cars.
In 2019, Oleg Voronin's family was involved in a situation with the National Bank of Moldova. The bank found that a group of shareholders, including Oleg and his family, had bought a large share of Fincombank without permission. This was against the law. As a result, Oleg Voronin lost his shares in Fincombank.
Honours and Awards
Vladimir Voronin has received several awards and honours:
- Knight Grand Cross of the Grand Order of King Tomislav (Croatia, 2007 and 2009)
- Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise I degree (Ukraine, 2006)
- Order of the Holy Blessed Governor Stefan cel Mare I degree (Orthodox Church of Moldova, 2006)
- Order of the Savior (Greece, 2007)
- Order of the "Stara Planina" (Bulgaria, 2009)
- Order of the Cross of the Holy Sepulcher (Jerusalem Orthodox Church, 2009)
- Order of Holy Prince Daniel of Moscow (Russian Orthodox Church, 2011)
See also
In Spanish: Vladimir Voronin para niños
