Moldova's prime minister says he will not seek new term following election

CHISINAU, Oct 13 (Reuters) – Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean said on Monday he would not seek a new term, paving the way for a new head of government following the pro-Western governing party's victory in a parliamentary election. President Maia Sandu's Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) secured a majority in the election on September 28, and will appoint a new government in coming weeks tasked with taking former Soviet republic Moldova further out of Russia's orbit. The pro-EU Recean, in office since February 2023, said he would also give up his parliamentary seat with PAS as part of his expected departure, and return to the private sector when a new government is in place. "My term ends simultaneously with that of the current government's," he told a joint press conference with parliamentary speaker Igor Grosu. "Immediately after we approve the new government in parliament, I will resign my mandate." Moldova's Constitutional Court will confirm the election results on October 16, after which Sandu will nominate a new prime minister who will present their new cabinet for parliamentary approval. A new prime minister will in particular be expected to tackle a sluggish economy hit by Russia's invasion of neighbouring Ukraine. PAS defeated an opposition bloc that wanted to steer Moldova away from closer ties with the European Union. The outcome was a setback for Russia, which has troops stationed in a pro-Russian eastern separatist region of the country, more than three decades after Moldova won independence from the Soviet Union. PAS is aiming to secure Moldovan membership of the EU by 2030. (Reporting by Alexander Tanas; Writing Dan Peleschuk)

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