Moldova’s president nominates businessman Vasile Tofan as prime minister

The announcement comes after the previous prime minister, Alexandru Munteanu, stepped down earlier this month.Moldova’s president has nominated a financier with no prior government experience as the country’s next prime minister, tasking him with restoring public trust and pushing forward the country’s bid to join the European Union.President Maia Sandu named Vasile Tofan, 44, a senior partner at investment firm Horizon Capital, on Saturday, after the previous prime minister, Alexandru Munteanu, stepped down earlier this month, citing an inability to carry out his duties in line with his convictions.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3EU agrees launch of accession process for Ukraine and Moldovalist 2 of 3EU officially launches Ukraine and Moldova accession processlist 3 of 3Moldova’s prime minister quits, triggering government’s resignationend of listAt the time, Sandu thanked Munteanu for his service and for initiating “difficult but needed reforms”.Moldova’s governing Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS), which controls both parliament and the government, backs Tofan.Under Moldova’s constitution, Tofan has 15 days to present a governing programme and Cabinet lineup to parliament for approval.Tofan tasked with securing EU accessionSpeaking at a news conference in Moldova, Tofan said reviving the economy would be among his top priorities, as would securing Moldova’s accession to the EU by the end of 2028.“If we do not restore optimism in the eyes of entrepreneurs, nothing else will work because there simply will not be money for it,” he said.Tofan said he had not planned major changes to the current cabinet at this stage, arguing that continuity was needed to keep government programmes on track and meet deadlines related to Moldova’s EU accession process.“If we miss this window, we risk significantly delaying our path,” he said.“The main challenge I will face is finding a balance between the rapid changes that are needed and continuity.”