Marian Lupu expected to become head of state in 2009

Speaker Marian Lupu has the biggest chances of becoming President of Moldova in 2009, consider 12.2% of the respondents of the Public Opinion Barometer presented at a news conference in Chisinau on November 28. The Head of Parliament is followed by Prime Minister Vasile Tarlev, whose candidacy for president will be supported by about 8% of the respondents. The Mayor of Chisinau Dorin Chirtoaca (3.4%), the leader of the Moldova Noastra Alliance Party Serafim Urecheanu and the president of the Social Democracy Party Dumitru Braghis come next in descending order. Over 60% of the respondents gave no answer to this question. So far, Moldova has had three presidents – Mircea Snegur, Petru Lucinschi and Vladimir Voronin, whose second term in office expires in 2009 and he will not be able to run for a new term.