Moldova's prime minister steps down, triggering the government's resignation

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CHISINAU, Moldova (AP) — Moldova’s Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu announced Friday that he's stepping down, in a surprise move that automatically triggers the government's resignation.

Munteanu did not give a clear reason for his departure, which comes less than a year after he was sworn in to lead the European Union candidate country's pro-Western government following a tense election widely viewed as a choice between East and West.

“Today I end my term as prime minister,” Munteanu wrote in a statement posted on social media. “The moment I understand that I can no longer exercise my mandate in accordance with my principles and beliefs, I choose to walk away.”

He added: “I accepted the proposal to be prime minister with a lot of responsibility and strong conviction that I can contribute to changing things for the better.”

When a prime minister announces their resignation in Moldova, it takes effect immediately, but the government continues in a caretaker capacity until a new cabinet is formed.

In a press statement following his resignation, Moldovan President Maia Sandu thanked Munteanu for his leadership through a “complex period” for Moldova, but said she expected “more involvement in complicated decisions, more openness to listening to people.”

“Next week, I will listen to the parliamentary groups to appoint a new prime minister. We must have a united, strong team in the Government that will fulfill our country’s objective,” she said. “We are obliged to succeed in taking Moldova into the EU and helping the country.”

“From my experience, at least in recent years, it is never easy to identify candidates for the position of prime minister,” she added. “I cannot know how long it will take, but we must still manage to have a government fairly quickly.”

Landlocked between Ukraine to the east and EU and NATO member Romania to the west, Moldova was a Soviet republic until it proclaimed independence in 1991. In recent years it has taken a clear Westward path, turning the country into a geopolitical battleground between Russia and Europe.