Maia Sandu, a former World Bank executive and education minister, was elected as prime minister by MPs on Saturday afternoon in Moldova | Daniel Mihailescu/AFP via Getty Images) Moldova gets surprise new government New government promises to overhaul the judiciary and ‘prevent the country’s descent into dictatorship.’

Moldova has a new government after two rival groups agreed to form a coalition and oust the Democratic Party of influential businessman Vladimir Plahotniuc.

The country held an election in February but it was inconclusive. It was thought that a snap election was the only way to break the deadlock until a surprise last-minute coalition deal was struck between the Socialist Party and the anti-corruption, pro-EU group ACUM, led by Maia Sandu and Andrei Năstase.

Sandu, a former World Bank executive and education minister, was elected as prime minister by MPs on Saturday afternoon.

After the government was sworn in, President Igor Dodon, of the Socialist Party, called for “political maturity” and “the peaceful transfer of power.” The Constitutional Court ruled that the new coalition was not valid, although it remains unclear what effect, if any, that will have on the new government.

The coalition said it was formed in order to rid Moldova of oligarchy, a direct reference to Plahotniuc’s leadership, which had been widely criticized by civil society groups and the EU for lack of transparency, corruption and poor administration.

“The dictator has fallen. The oligarchic regime is in opposition as of today,” Sandu said, referring to the Democratic Party and Plahotniuc, who did not have a formal position in the government but maintained influence through his leadership of the party. “Today we begin the process of cleaning up Moldova and building a better future.”

Among the first moves of the new government will be to investigate corruption and abuse of power, she said. “We will not compromise on the interests of citizens. Those who built the regime of terror will be judged fairly and without hesitation.”

Sandu called for a united front across ideological and ethnic divides, in order to reform virtually all aspects of Moldova’s public sector, law enforcement, economy and the judiciary.

She also said Moldova will seek to rekindle its relationship with the EU. “Our team will work day and night to ensure that Moldova is once again seen as a trustworthy partner.”

“The people of this country are tired, not only of poverty but also of insecurity … today we have the chance to turn a new page in our country’s history,” Sandu said.

The EU, U.S. and Russia all expressed support for her coalition.

But life will not be easy for the new government of pro-Russia socialists and pro-EU free marketeers, Sandu acknowledged. “There are differences between the political forces” in the coalition, she said. “We cannot be sure of the duration of this alliance.”

Plahotniuc’s Democratic Party said the alliance was illegitimate, referring to it as “a coup” and “treason.”

Plahotniuc said in a press conference that the process of electing the new government was “an obvious putsch.” He said his party will “take all the legal and democratic measures to prevent the assumption of power by the new government.”

Protests in support of both sides are expected Sunday in the capital, Chișinău, with the chief of police calling for calm.

Năstase, the new interior minister and Sandu’s coalition partner, was elected mayor of Chișinău in 2018, but the ballot was declared void by a court, which led to criticism from abroad, including from the EU, which denounced the move as anti-democratic. The EU also backed Sandu in February’s parliamentary election.

In a speech in parliament on Saturday, Năstase said: “All the citizens of this country are being suffocated by endemic corruption ... and by the total control of the judiciary by the oligarchy.”

“It is our duty to prevent the country’s descent into dictatorship.”

Authors: