Petru Lucinschi will not run in 2009 legislative elections

The former president of Moldova, Petru Lucinschi, says that he is determined not to participate in the 2009 parliamentary elections, Info-Prim Neo reports. Petru Lucinschi told the reporters on Monday that no party offered him to run in elections together, but he would accept no offer if their was such. The ex-president said he is an opponent of those that want to keep certain posts for life. “I consider that the things develop naturally. New generations come and our mission, of the older ones, is to encourage the younger ones,” Petru Lucinschi said, stressing that he is open and offers advice to the active politicians. “For Moldova’s mentality, it is not right to strive to maintain the power. The people will say about such persons that “they again try to keep the power!” They continue to say that I have a villa in Miami, forests in Balti, factories,” Petru Lucinschi said. Petru Lucinschi was the head of the Parliament of the 12th and 13th legislatures and the second president of Moldova (1996-2001). As the first president of the country, Mircea Snegur, he was elected by general and direct vote. At the early parliamentary elections in 2001, the Communist Party polled 50.07% of the vote. The incumbent president Petru Lucinschi did not propose himself for the post of head of state to the Parliament. He said he was against the Parliament electing the president and that the parliamentary regime was inappropriate for the then situation in Moldova. Presently, Lucinschi does not form part of a political party. He is the chairman of the Strategic Studies and International Relations Development Foundation “Lucinschi”.