Moldovan prime minister resigns, setting off search for successor
Alexandru Munteanu stepped down after months in office, adding pressure on President Maia Sandu’s pro-European government.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
Moldovan Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu resigned Friday, causing the government to resign and forcing President Maia Sandu to begin choosing a replacement. The departure matters for Moldova’s pro-European leadership as it pursues European Union accession and faces scrutiny over state company governance.
Munteanu, 65, said in a social media post that he was leaving because he could no longer do the job on terms he considered acceptable. “The moment I realized that I could no longer carry out my mandate in accordance with my principles and convictions, I chose to step down,” he wrote, according to Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters.
He added that he would continue to serve Moldova from whatever role he holds next, but gave no further explanation, the news organizations reported. Munteanu had held the premiership since November.
Sandu says replacement will be named quickly
Under Moldova’s parliamentary procedure, Sandu is expected to consult parliamentary groups and then put forward a nominee for prime minister, according to Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters. Sandu said Friday that Munteanu would remain in office in an acting capacity until a new prime minister is appointed “quickly.”
The president said consultations would start next week before she names a candidate. Munteanu’s resignation creates a political test for Sandu and her Party of Action and Solidarity, known as PAS, which is in its second consecutive term in power.
Munteanu was appointed after parliamentary elections in September 2025, when PAS defeated a Russia-leaning opponent and won another mandate to continue Moldova’s push toward the European Union, according to the news organizations. Before entering the premiership, he had spent about two decades working outside Moldova, including at the World Bank.
Pressure over aviation company scandal
The government had been under pressure over a scandal involving MoldATSA, a state-owned aviation company, Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters reported. The controversy centered on allegations about appointments and governance at the company.
Reports said MoldATSA’s director had falsified his CV. They also said a cousin of Sandu had been directly appointed to a public relations post and later received salary increases that brought her payout to eight times Moldova’s median wage.
Sandu denied Friday that Munteanu had been blocked from acting inside the government. “Speculation that he wanted to combat abuses but was not permitted to do so is false,” she told a news conference, according to Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters.
Sandu said Munteanu had “a free hand” to run the government as he chose. She also said she had wanted “greater involvement” from him in difficult decisions and a stronger public role in hearing public concerns and explaining reforms.
A special investigative committee was set up Thursday to examine management at state-owned companies, the news organizations reported. The committee will look at how senior managers are recruited, how boards of directors are composed and cases in which people hold roles at several public institutions at the same time.
Moldova is an EU candidate country located between Ukraine and Romania, an EU member. Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters described the country as having a Romanian-speaking majority and a large Russian-speaking minority, with political power shifting for decades between parties favoring closer European ties and those seeking better relations with Moscow.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.