CHISINAU, September 5 (RIA Novosti) - Moldovan Parliament Speaker Mihai Ghimpu said during a televised interview on Saturday he would like to annul the country's sovereignty and unite with Romania.

When asked by the interviewer if he was a unionist, Ghimpu answered positively.

"Yes, I am. The idea belongs to me, to someone who knows history," Ghimpu said in regard to uniting Moldova and Romania.

Moldova's acting president Vladimir Voronin formally resigned on Wednesday to become a member of parliament, after strongly criticizing the incoming leadership.

Under the country's constitution, newly elected parliamentary speaker Mihai Ghimpu will become acting president. Ghimpu, who leads the Liberal Party, has openly supported unification with Romania.

The legislature must elect a new president, but the ruling majority currently falls eight votes short of being able to do so. If no president is elected, the legislature must be dissolved and a new parliamentary election called, according to the constitution. However, parliamentary elections may not be held more than twice a year, meaning no further elections can be held in 2009.