Vladimir Voronin moves six spots up in influential politicians’ rankings

The Communist Party chairman Vladimir Voronin climbed six spots in the rankings of the most influential politicians of February, to the third. This is his best position in the rankings compared with the previous year, when he was among the last in the Top 10 rankings, Info-Prim Neo reports. Ion Tabirta, vice director of the Political Consultancy and Strategic Research Center “Politicon”, told a news conference that the first and second positions remained unchanged, being occupied by Prime Minister Vlad Filat and Deputy Prime Minister Iurie Leanca, both from the Liberal Democratic Party. “After Vladimir Voronin, Nicolae Timofti is another surprise of the rankings. He climbed five spots to the fourth from January,” he stated. The fifth position is taken by the head of the Liberal-Democratic parliamentary group Valeriu Strelet, while the sixth and seventh places are shared by Mayor of Chisinau Dorin Chirtoaca and Democratic MP Vlad Plahotniuc. The eighth and ninth positions are occupied by the leader of the Liberal Party Mihai Ghimpu and the Democratic Party head Marian Lupu. Minister of the Interior Dorin Recean fell four spots to the tenth. “Politicon” director Anatol Taranu said the jump taken by Vladimir Voronin is due to the reckless deeds of his political opponents, who accused each other. “The position of President Nicolae Timofti is a reflection of the steps taken to remedy the political situation. This shows that he gains weight,” he stated. According to Taranu, if the executive is dismissed, Nicolae Timofti’s weight can increase further as the head of state is given priority when naming the Premier. “Vlad Plahotniuc’s climb is another surprise of the rankings. This is for the first time that he is ahead of the party’s formal leader Marian Lupu. This shows that the experts appreciate the politician’s real role, especially as an informal leader of the PDM,” said Anatol Taranu. As regards the positions taken by Mihai Ghimpu and Marian Lupu, the director of “Politicon” said Ghimpu’s position is an ordinary one, while Lupu’s position is frail and depends on his subsequent deeds. Anatol Taranu also said that Dorin Recean’s place in the rankings was influenced by the audio recordings of conversations involving him, which affected his image. The rankings were compiled by 33 experts who gave grades to the politicians depending on their influence on the decisions taken, visibility in the media, public popularity, and political prospects.