Voronin, who has been leading the ex-Soviet republic since 2001, said he was handing over power with major apprehensions about the future of his country. At 68, he indicated his intention to stay in politics as a parliamentarian.
"I will not hide that I am handing the reins of power to a new team with a heavy heart," he said in a farewell message.
According to the country's constitution, the parliament speaker and Liberal party leader Mihai Ghimpu will serve as acting president.
Meanwhile, the political crisis in impoverished Moldova seems to be dragging on, as the parliament is still unable to elect a president. The four pro-European parties have 53 MPs in the 101-seat parliament - enough to form a government, but too few to vote through their choice of president, where a majority of 61 seats in the 101-seat parliament is needed.
Unable to elect a president, the country is bound for another early poll, to take place in early 2010.
The Russian press writes that Ghimpu, now acting president, has openly supported unification with Romania.
As Moldova has been part of Romania and of the USSR in different periods of its history, the two countries closely follow developments in Chisinau.
Recently, Ghimpu denied that he is pushing for his country to unite with Romania, even though he said he personally believes that Moldova and Romania should be one country.
In an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Ghimpu said that instead, the objective of the pro-European parties was to form a government and primarily seek to bring Moldova closer to the European Union and convince Russia to withdraw its troops from Moldova's separatist Transnistria (see 'Background').
