Mihai Ghimpu

Mihai Ghimpu (born 19 November 1951) is a Moldovan politician who served as Speaker of Parliament and Acting President of Moldova from 2009 to 2010.[1][2] He was member of Parliament of Moldova from 1990 to 1998 and from 2009 to 2019.[3] Ghimpu held the position of leader of Liberal Party from 1998 to 2018.[4][5]

Mihai Ghimpu
Member of the Moldovan Parliament
In office 5 April 2009 – 24 February 2019
In office 3 September 1990 – 22 March 1998
President of Moldova Acting
In office 11 September 2009 – 28 December 2010
Prime Minister	Zinaida Greceanîi Vladimir Filat
Preceded by	Vladimir Voronin
Succeeded by	Vladimir Filat (Acting)
8th President of the Moldovan Parliament
In office 28 August 2009 – 28 December 2010
President	Vladimir Voronin
Prime Minister	Zinaida Greceanîi Vladimir Filat
Preceded by	Vladimir Voronin
Succeeded by	Marian Lupu
Member of the Chișinău Municipal Council
In office 3 June 2007 – 5 April 2009
President of the Chișinău Municipal Council
In office 11 November 2007 – 6 June 2008
Succeeded by	Eduard Mușuc
Personal details
Born	(1951-11-19) 19 November 1951 Colonița, Moldovan SSR, Soviet Union
Citizenship	Moldova  Romania
Political party	Popular Front (1990–1993) Liberal Party (1993–present)
Other political affiliations	Bloc of the Intellectuals (1994) Alliance for European Integration (2009–present)
Spouse(s)	Dina Ghimpu
Relations	Gheorghe Ghimpu (brother) Dorin Chirtoacă (nephew)
Alma mater	Moldova State University

Family

Mihai Ghimpu was born on 19 November 1951 in the village of Colonița, Chișinău, Moldavian SSR.[6] His mother, Irina Ursu (daughter of Haralambie Ursu) died in 2003; she worked at the local kolkhoz. His father, Toader Ghimpu (deceased in 1980), was an elementary school teacher only a few years because he completed only seven years of schooling during the Romanian rule, then he worked at the local kolkhoz too. Mihai Ghimpu is the youngest brother of Gheorghe Ghimpu, Simion Ghimpu, Visarion, and Valentina (mother of Dorin Chirtoacă). He has been married, for more than 30 years, to Dina Ghimpu, an employee of Moldova's Culture Ministry; they have no children.[7]

Education and early career

After attending elementary school in his hometown, Mihai Ghimpu enrolled in School no.1 of Chișinău (now "Gheorghe Asachi" High School). After high school, he carried out the compulsory military service in the Soviet army until 1972. Then, Ghimpu studied law at Moldova State University (1974–1978), after which worked as legal counsel to state enterprises. In 1978–1990 years he worked as a lawyer, headed the legal departments of various companies and served as a judge in Sectorul Rîșcani of Chișinău.

In the late 1980s Ghimpu joined the democratic movement. He was one of the founders of the Popular Front of Moldova, a member of the executive committee of the movement, known as one of the leading political forces in Moldova. In 1990 polls, Mihai Ghimpu was elected to Moldovan Parliament as a representative of Popular Front and in 1994 polls as a representative of the Bloc of the Intellectuals. Alongside parliament members, Ghimpu voted the Declaration of Independence of Moldova in 1991.

In 1997 Mihai Ghimpu was elected as chairman of the Party of Reform, created by Anatol Șalaru in 1993. In 1998 polls, the party obtained only 0.54% and failed to pass the electoral threshold of 4%. The Party of Reform didn't participate in 2001 polls and 2005 polls.

In April 2005, the party changed its name and became known as the Liberal Party of Moldova. In 2007, Mihai Ghimpu was elected as alderman in Chișinău Municipal Council. Two weeks later, the vice-president of the Liberal Party, Dorin Chirtoacă won a victory over the Communist Veaceslav Iordan and became mayor of Chișinău.[8] The Liberal Party obtained 13.13% of the votes in April 2009 polls, equating to 15 out of 101 MPs; Ghimpu was one of the party's MPs and in the July 2009 polls, he was re-elected.

According to last polls made in 2019 referring to the most popular politicians of the Republic of Moldova, Mihai Ghimpu is on the fifteenth position among the top of politicians in which Moldovans have the highest trust,[9] and the others are on the eleventh position[10]

Timeline

Mihai Ghimpu

• 1988-1993: Founder of the democratic movement the Popular Front of Moldova, member of the Executive Office
• 1990-1998: Member of Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, Vice Chairman of Legal Committee
• 1993-1998: The Congress of Intellectuals, Executive Secretary, Vice President
• 1998–present: Chairman of the Liberal Party (PL)
• 2007-2009: alderman in Chișinau Municipal Council
• 2007-2008: Chairman of the Chișinau Municipal Council
• 28 August 2009: Elected as Speaker of the Moldovan Parliament
• 11 September 2009 - 28 December 2010: interim President of the Republic of Moldova.[11]

Alliance For European Integration

In July 2009 were held early parliamentary elections for the XVIII convocation. The Moldovan Communist Party won the elections with 44.76 per cent of votes. In the parliament entered four other parties - the Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova (16.55 percent), Liberal Party (14.61 percent), Democratic Party of Moldova (12.55 percent) and the Party Alliance Our Moldova (7.35 percent of the vote). As a result, the Communists gained 48 seats in Parliament (out of 101), the Liberal Democrats - 18, Liberals - 15, ASM - 7, the Democrats - 13.

The leader of Liberal Party, Mihai Ghimpu, as well as leaders of the Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova, Vlad Filat, Democratic Party of Moldova, Marian Lupu and the Party Alliance Our Moldova Serafim Urechean more than a week held talks on forming a coalition, and in August 2009 the party established a governing coalition under the banner "Alliance For European Integration".[12]

President of the Moldovan Parliament

Main article: President of the Moldovan Parliament

On 28 August 2009 Mihai Ghimpu was elected as the Speaker of the Moldovan Parliament, through secret voting, getting all 53 votes of the Alliance For European Integration.[13][14]

Mihai Ghimpu on 28 August 2009: "I thank my colleagues for their trust. I hope that while in this post I will cooperate for a free press, independent legal system, and a state of law of which all the Moldovan citizens will be proud."[15]

Speaking at the World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in Geneva on 20 July 2010, Ghimpu said: "Why have we become the poorest country in Europe? Not only because we did not carry out democratic reforms at the right time, but also because today on the territory of Moldova, part of an occupation army and its equipment continue to be stationed."[16][17][18]

President of Moldova

On 11 September 2009 he became the acting president of Moldova.[19] The interim position was possible following the resignation of Moldovan President, Vladimir Voronin, announced in the morning of 11 September 2009 on the public broadcaster Moldova 1.[20] The resignation letter was sent to the Parliament secretariat and by a vote of 52 deputies in the plenary session of the legislature the post of the President of the Republic of Moldova was declared vacant. Therefore, in accordance with Article 91 of the Constitution of 1994, which provides that "the responsibility of the office shall devolve ad interim to the President of Parliament or the Prime Minister, in that order of priority", Mihai Ghimpu has become the interim President of the Republic of Moldova until a new president is elected by the Parliament.

The Commission for constitutional reform in Moldova was set up under presidential decree on 1 December 2009 in order to resolve the constitutional crisis. On 14 January 2010 Ghimpu decreed to set up a Commission for the Study of the Communist Dictatorship in Moldova, aimed at studying the responsibilities of Soviet rule in the former Moldavian SSR.

In June 2010, Ghimpu decreed a Soviet Occupation Day. The decree that was promptly cancelled by the Constitutional Court on 12 July 2010.[21][22] He also unveiled the commemorative stone to the victims of totalitarianism.

Ethnic identity

Mihai Ghimpu is known as an unambiguous supporter of the common Romanian-Moldovan ethnic identity:

What have we gained having as leaders people who knew that the language is Romanian and that we are Romanians, but acknowledged this truth only after they left office? I have not come to manipulate the citizens, but to tell them the truth.[23]

See also

• Liberal Party (Moldova)
• Liberalism
• Parliament of the Republic of Moldova
• President of Moldova
• Acting President of Moldova

Notes

1. "Moldova elects new pro-Europe parliamentary speaker". dw.com. Retrieved August 29, 2009.
2. "Mihai Ghimpu, noul preşedinte interimar al Republicii Moldova". romania-actualitati.ro (in Romanian). Retrieved September 11, 2009.
3. "Biography of Acting President of the Republic of Moldova Mihai Ghimpu, 2009-2010". presedinte.md. December 31, 2010.
4. "Mihai Ghimpu reales președinte al Partidului Liberal". moldova.europalibera.org (in Romanian). September 27, 2010.
5. "Mihai Ghimpu reales președinte al Partidului Liberal". moldova.europalibera.org (in Romanian). September 15, 2014.
6. "Partidul Liberal". Archived from the original on 11 December 2013. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
7. Mihai cel Ghimpu
8. "ADEPT : Political parties of RM : Parties' List : Liberal Party". Retrieved 25 February 2015.
9. "Sondaj BOP: Cei mai apreciați politicieni din Republica Moldova", UNIMEDIA, retrieved February 13, 2019
10. "Partidele care ar ajunge in legislativ daca duminica viitoare ar avea loc alegeri parlamentare. Top trei politicieni care se bucura de cea mai mare incredere. Sondaj iData", protv.md, retrieved February 13, 2019
11. Reuters (NY Times): Communists to End Rule
12. "New Moldovan parliament meets after communists fail". Reuters. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
13. Politicom.Moldova.org: Moldovan Pro-Western coalition elects new speaker of the parliament Archived 2009-08-31 at the Wayback Machine
14. New York Times: Moldova Elects New Speaker After Communist Walk – Out
15. "Mihai Ghimpu elected Speaker". Retrieved 25 February 2015.
16. "Moldova Urges Russian Withdrawal From Transdnestr - News". The Moscow Times. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
17. "Ghimpu cere din nou retragerea trupelor ruse din Republica Moldova - Romania Libera". RomaniaLibera.ro. Archived from the original on 5 August 2017. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
18. "Presedintele interimar al Republicii Moldova: Suntem saraci pentru ca am fost ocupati". HotNewsRo. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
19. ITAR-TASS: Mihai Ghimpu appointed Moldovan acting president Archived 2009-09-16 at the Wayback Machine
20. "Moldova's President announced his resignation". HotNewsRo. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
21. "Moldovan Leader: Court Ruling Against 'Soviet Occupation Day' Was Political". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
22. Moldpres, Moldovan top court says presidential decree on Day of Soviet Occupation unlawful Archived 2011-07-22 at the Wayback Machine
23. "Archived copy" (in Romanian). Archived from the original on 2010-01-11. Retrieved 2010-02-19.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

Party political offices
New office	President of the Liberal Party 2005-present	Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by Vladimir Voronin	President of Moldova Acting 2009–2010	Succeeded by Vlad Filat Acting