Moldova, a small former Soviet republic with a population of 2.5 million tucked between Ukraine and NATO and EU member Romania, experienced a major change in its political landscape on Friday.
President Maia Sandu has nominated former Interior Minister Dorin Recean to take the place of Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita, who resigned from her position following an 18-month tumultuous tenure marked by an economic crisis and ripples from Russia’s war in neighboring Ukraine.
Sandu said in a news conference on Friday that members of the ruling Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) have accepted her nomination of Recean.
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“I know that we need unity and a lot of work to get through the difficult period we are facing. The difficulties of 2022 postponed some of our plans, but they did not stop us,” the Moldovan President said, adding that she intends to focus on revamping key areas such as the economy and the justice sector in 2023.
Recean, who like Gavirilita is an economist, will have 15 days to put together a new government to present to parliament for a vote. He aims to pursue Moldova’s bid to join the European Union and revive the country’s economy.
The 48-year-old prime minister-designate said he would “proceed immediately” with forming the government. His top priorities would be “order and discipline, a new life and economy, and peace and stability.”
On top of skyrocketing inflation, which reached an all-time high of 34.62% in October of 2022, the small nation has also had to deal with the spillover of Russia’s attacks in Ukraine which include power interruptions as the Kremlin targeted Ukrainian energy facilities. Moldova has also struggled to cope with the stream of Ukrainians seeking refuge in the country.
In 2022, the turmoil crescendoed into street protests organized by the opposition party of exiled politician Ilan Shor, which demanded that the government and Sandu step down. The protests were seen to have been part of Russia’s attempts to destabilize the government, which continues to this day.
Sandu on Friday thanked the outgoing prime minister for her “enormous sacrifice and efforts to lead the country in a time of so many crises.”
Political analyst Iulian Groza of the Institute for European Policies and Reforms in Chisinau sees the reshuffle as a means to “reenergize” the cabinet and predicts a new cabinet will be presented to parliament by the end of next week. The change in government provides a fresh opportunity for Moldova to tackle its challenges and move forward with its pro-European agenda.
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