Pro-Western Dorin Recean Set to Succeed Moldova’s PM who resigned

Following the unexpected resignation of Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilița of Moldova, the country’s president has appointed Dorin Recean as her successor.

Recean, who is a pro-Western economist and serves as the defense and security adviser, will now take on the role as Prime Minister. Natalia Gavrilița resigned after 18 months of serving as Prime Minister, during which she faced several difficulties, including the conflict in Ukraine, which is located near Moldova.

Pro-Western Dorin Recean Set to Succeed Moldova’s PM who resigned

The Prime Minister of Moldova, Natalia Gavrilița, who was supportive of the Western world, stepped down from her position on Friday. This came as a surprise as she cited various issues and challenges that had affected her time in office, which lasted for 18 months.

At a press conference, President Maia Sandu announced that the members of Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilița’s political party, the Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS), have approved her selection of Dorin Recean as the new Prime Minister.

Dorin Recean Prime Minister of Moldova

Dorin Recean, who is 48 years old and has previously held the position of Interior Minister from 2012 to 2015, has been given 15 days to put together a new government that will be presented to Parliament for approval. The Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS), which Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilița was a member of, has the majority in Parliament.

President Maia Sandu stated that she wants to concentrate on improving key areas in 2023, such as the economy and justice sector, in order to enhance Moldova.

She said, “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,”

Moldova, which is a former Soviet republic with a population of around 2.6 million, has been working to strengthen its relationships with Western countries since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. As a result, last June, the country was given the status of a European Union candidate, along with Ukraine, which reflects its efforts to form closer ties with the EU.

Dorin Recean has stated that he intends to quickly form a new government and that his main priorities will be to bring structure and organization to Moldova’s institutions, revive the economy, and establish peace and stability. He wants to proceed immediately with the formation of the government.

Moldova’s government, stressed by war in neighboring Ukraine, undergoes a shakeup

After stepping down from her position, Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita, who was a 41-year-old economist and took office in August 2021, spoke at a press conference.

President of Moldova appoints defence and security adviser as PM designate

She mentioned that if her government had received the same level of support and confidence from within the country as it had from other European nations, then they would have been able to progress further and faster.

During her time in office, Gavrilita faced numerous challenges, such as a severe energy crisis caused by a reduction of supplies from Moscow and high inflation due to the conflict in Ukraine.

Additionally, missiles from the war in Ukraine flew over Moldova’s skies, and missile debris was found in the country, further exacerbating the situation.

As well, she said that no one expected her government would have to deal with so many crises caused by Russian aggression in Ukraine.

“I took over the government with an anticorruption, pro-development and pro-European mandate at a time when corruption schemes had engulfed all the institutions and oligarchs felt untouchable,” Gavrilita explained. Energy blackmail began immediately, and those who perpetrated it hoped that we would cave in.”

“Our enemies bet that we would follow previous governments, who sacrificed energy interests in exchange for short-term gains,” she said.

Deputy State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters in Washington after Moldovan authorities confirmed another missile briefly crossed the country’s skies from the war next door on Friday that “Russia has supported influence and destabilization campaigns in Moldova for years, often by weaponizing corruption.”

In a time of so many crises, Sandu thanked Gavrilita for her “enormous sacrifices and efforts.”