Dorin Recean, who has served the Moldovan Government in various capacities, was nominated by President Maia Sandu to become the new Prime Minister of Moldova after the resignation of former PM Natalia Gavrilita. Dorin will have to be approved by the 101-seat Moldovan Parliament before assuming the position. However, it is likely that he will be approved and then will have to form a new government to head Moldova.
Former PM Natalia Gavrilita resigned earlier today, stating that their government would have to manage “… so many crises caused by Russian aggression in Ukraine.” It is not an entirely unexpected move. Gavrilita reportedly asked to resign in November, but ultimately stayed on, likely at request of President Sandu, so that a suitable replacement could be found. Natalia became PM in August 2021 after her party, the Party of Action and Solidarity, secured a majority in parliament.
PAS is a pro-European party that was formed by Maia Sandu in 2016 as a response to government corruption and banking scandals that occurred in previous years. Moldova, for a majority of time after the collapse of the Soviet Union has voted in favor of its Socialist and Communist parties. It strayed from that history in 2021 with PAS receiving a 63-seat majority in parliament.
However, the party may have only received support due to its campaign against corruption. Gavrilita stated that “If the Government had had at home the same support and trust from our European partners, we would have managed to advance more and faster.” The government was unable to deal with the constant crises arising from the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Since the beginning of the invasion, Ukranian refugees have steadily arrived in Moldova straining the small county and its resources. Along with the refugee crisis, inflation has severely impacted the country and its citizens with the current consumer price inflation rate sitting at 27.3%. Not to mention, Moldova has continually had to deal with the semi-autonomous break-away region, Transnistria, which is Russian-aligned and garrisoned by Russian soldiers.
As seen, Recean will have quite a lot to grapple with. His ability or inability to deal with its crises will likely impact the country’s outlook. Will it continue to approach the EU or will it reignite relations with Russia? Whatever may happen, Recean has a large job ahead of him.
