February 10 (SeeNews) - Moldovan president Maia Sandu said on Friday that she is naming Dorin Receanu as candidate for prime minister, following the resignation of Natalia Gavrilita and her cabinet earlier in the day, and that the biggest group in parliament has pledged support for the nomination.
"I had consultations with the parliamentary groups.[...] As part of the consultations, the Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) declared its support for Mr. Dorin Recean," Sandu told a news briefing.
The leader of PAS, Igor Grosu, who attended the news briefing, confirmed his party's backing for Recean.
"The parliamentary faction of PAS expressed its support for the prime minister candidate put forward by the president and will offer full support to the new government," Grosu said.
Recean, a former interior minister currently serving as a top national security adviser, is a member of PAS.
Recean told the same news briefing that his cabinet's initial focus will revolve around institutional reforms, facilitating business investments, and safeguarding Moldova's national security threats. The focal point of the government programme is EU integration, he added.
In an earlier social media post on Friday, Sandu accepted Gavrilita's resignation and stated that "despite unprecedented challenges, the country was governed responsibly, with great care and dedicated work" and that Moldova now has "stability, peace and development – where others wanted war and bankruptcy".
According to the Moldovan constitution, once nominated by the president, the candidate for prime minister must seek parliament's approval of his cabinet and government programme. To be appointed, the government must be backed by at least 51 of all 101 members of parliament.
PAS currently holds 63 parliamentary seats.
Earlier on Friday, prime minister Natalia Gavrilita said that she is stepping down amid lack of support for reforms.
“Despite multiple crises the country faced, our progress has been highly appreciated by the EU. Our people deserve all the EU benefits that they have been deprived of for 30 years. If the government had the same support at home as it did in the EU, we would have been able to move forward with the reforms faster,” Gavrilita told a press briefing.
Moldova is now entering a new phase in which security will be its top priority, Gavrilita added.
Gavrilita was appointed prime minister in August 2021.
Her cabinet had to deal with several crises, from energy supply shortages to constant inflationary pressures and troublesome incidents such as geopolitical threats and missiles traversing its airspace from Russia’s war on neighbouring Ukraine.