Former president of Moldova marks birthday

Chisinau, 27 January /MOLDPRES/ - The second president of Moldova, Petru Lucinschi, turned 84 years today.   

Petru Lucinschi was born in the Radulenii Vechi village, northern Floresti district, in 1940. He studied at the Moldovan State University (USM), which he graduated in 1962. Lucinschi is member of the Academy of Social Sciences from Russia (Moscow), PhD in philosophy (1977).  

During 1960-1971, he held the positions of instructor, head of section, secretary, first secretary of the Central Committee of the Union of Communist Youth of the  Moldovan Soviet Socialist Republic (RSSM) and subsequently he acted as secretary of the Central Committee (CC) of the Moldovan Communist Party (PCM) during 1971-1976.  In 1976-78, Lucinschi held the office of first secretary of the PCM’s Chisinau City Committee. During 1978-1986, he worked as deputy head of section of CC of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (PCUS). Starting from 1986 till 1989, Lucinschi worked as the second secretary of CC of the Communist Party of Tajikistan.   

In 1989, he was elected first secretary of CC of PCM, a position held till 1990. In 1990-1991, Lucinschi worked as secretary of CC, member of the Political Bureau of CC of PCUS; in 1991-92, he held the office of chief scientific employee at the Institute of Social and Political Researches of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow) and of executive director of the fund of development of social sciences of the same Academy. In 1992-93, he worked as Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Moldova to Russia.    

On 4 February 1993, Lucinschi was elected Parliament Speaker of the Republic of Moldova. Starting from 1 December 1996 till 4 April 2001, Petru Lucinschi held the office of president of Moldova.   

He acted as lawmaker of the Supreme Soviet (parliament) of RSSM (1967-1980), deputy in the Supreme Soviet of Tajikistan (1986-1990), deputy in the Supreme Soviet of the USSR (1986-1991); starting from 1990 till 1996 – MP in Moldova’s parliament.  

At present, Petru Lucinschi is president of the Lucinschi Foundation of Strategic Studies and Development of International Relations.  

In 2005, Lucinschi was awarded the Order of the Republic. He is also Knight of distinctions awarded from abroad: Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour of France (1998), Order of the Redeemer (Greece, 1999), Grand Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre (Greek Orthodox Patriarchy, 2000), Order of the Star of Romania in rank of Collar (Romania, 2000).