Moldova’s Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita has handed in her resignation after a year and a half in office. “It’s time for me to go,” the 45-year-old politician told reporters on Friday, citing “a lack of support and trust in the country.” President Maia Sandu appointed Interior Minister Dorin Recean as her successor. Like Sandu and Gavrilita, Recean is pro-European.
“The new government will be formed immediately and will lead the country on the path of reconstruction,” Sandu said in a televised address. With the Pas party she founded holding 63 seats in the 101-seat parliament, Recean is expected to be smoothly elected as the new prime minister. “We need unity to get through the difficult time we are going through,” Sandu said, adding that the country will face the crisis “with head held high”.
On Thursday, the country’s secret service warned that Russia was planning to destabilize Moldova. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had previously stated that Kyiv had uncovered a corresponding plan by Moscow. Moldova had previously accused Russia of arms and human trafficking and financing anti-government protests.
Sandu thanked Gavrilita on Friday for “her sacrifice and tremendous effort to govern through so many crises.” During her short tenure, Gavrilita faced numerous challenges, particularly in the area of energy supplies. Located between EU member Romania and Ukraine, the small former Soviet republic of 2.6 million people is heavily dependent on Russia for energy.
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Russian state-owned company Gazprom drastically reduced its gas supplies. In addition, massive power outages occurred in Moldova after Russian air raids on Ukrainian energy plants.
Due to its geographical location and economic dependency, Moldova fears Russian influence. This concern is exacerbated by the presence of Russian troops in the breakaway region of Transnistria on the border with Ukraine.
In a new series of attacks on Ukraine, a Russian missile also flew over Moldova on Friday. Moldova’s foreign ministry summoned the Russian ambassador because of the “unacceptable” airspace violation.