Moldova's long-serving communist president, Vladimir Voronin, said in a statement on Friday he was leaving office and handing over power to pro-Western opponents.
"I hand over power into the hands of new authorities with heavy heart," Voronin said in the statement, published in morning newspapers. "I don't believe that the politicians who united only on the basis of ... smearing their own country and sharing top posts can offer a positive programme to society," he added. (Reuters)