Moldova's parliament elects investor Vasile Tofan as prime minister to push EU membership bid

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CHISINAU, Moldova (AP) — Moldova’s pro-Western parliament elected businessman and investor Vasile Tofan as prime minister on Tuesday, entrusting a political newcomer with advancing the former Soviet republic’s bid to join the European Union.

Tofan, 44, who is backed by President Maia Sandu and her Party of Action and Solidarity, was elected by 53 to 21, with 21 abstentions in Moldova's 101-seat Parliament.

Addressing lawmakers just before the vote, Tofan said he understood his “responsibility to fight for the interests of all Moldovans,” and that he and the new government will act “with integrity and the will to push Moldova forward.”

A senior partner at the Ukraine-based investment firm Horizon Capital until recently, Tofan gained a master's degree in business administration from Harvard Business School, and bachelor's and master's degrees in public administration from Erasmus University, in the Netherlands.

Tofan said he did not intend to launch a political career with his role as prime minister.

“I want to finish my mandate and look back at it with pride in the things I did,” he said.

His election comes three weeks after former Alexandru Munteanu stepped down as prime minister after only eight months in a surprise move that automatically triggered the government’s resignation. Munteanu did not give a clear reason for his departure, saying only that he could “no longer exercise my mandate in accordance with my principles and beliefs.”

Sandu, who nominated Tofan for prime minister, said at the time that Moldova “must have a united, strong team in the government” to fulfill its ambition of joining the EU. She tasked Tofan with proposing a new cabinet after the previous ministers were forced to resign.

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.

Primarily Romanian-speaking, but with a sizable Russian-speaking minority, Moldova has in recent years taken a clear West-leaning path, turning the country into a geopolitical battleground between Russia and Europe.

As part of the EU accession process, Moldova and Ukraine opened negotiations last month on a cluster of five chapters linked to the values and principles on which the EU was founded, such as the rule of law, respect for fundamental rights and the functioning of democratic institutions.

Both countries also opened a second cluster last week focused on foreign relations, security and defense policies, as well as trade policy, development cooperation and humanitarian aid.