Moldova's new technocratic government enters office

Moldova's new technocratic government led by career economist Ion Chicu took the oath of office on Thursday at the presence of President Igor Dodon and Parliament Speaker Zinaida Greceanii.

Earlier in the day, Chicu's new cabinet had received a vote of confidence in the parliament, marking thus the official entry of the new cabinet into the ruling role.

"You don't have a political majority or a political governing alliance behind you ... but you are the government approved with the most votes since 2001," Dodon said after the swearing-in ceremony.

"You were voted not on the basis of political affinities, and you received a mandate that is limited to one aspect only: solving citizens' problems," said Dodon, adding that the new government will have his full support and certainly those who voted for it in the parliament "as long as you prove your efficiency."

The Moldovan parliament had approved the minority technocratic cabinet formed overnight, with 62 MPs of the 101-seat one chamber parliament voting in favor.

Starting on Thursday, the new government with all responsibility would begin to implement reforms and stabilize the socio-economic situation in the country, said Chicu in his statement following the parliamentary positive vote for his cabinet, specifying that the cabinet is composed of professionals and all the appointed ministers are not politically engaged functionaries.

The new cabinet consists of 11 members, including two deputy prime ministers. The cabinet structure is not much different from the previous one.

Six of the 11 members of the new executive, including the prime minister, so far have served as presidential advisers, according to state news agency Moldpres.

The new cabinet will have a short term and will end after the presidential election next fall, said Chicu when presenting government program and list of ministers to the parliament.

Chicu said he would choose to resume good initiatives launched by previous governments and will work on the recovery of the economy, the development of the IT branch, as well as tourism, turning Moldova into a construction site.

Chicu, 47, was nominated by the president to form a technical government a day ago and has 15 days to draw up the list of the cabinet and the governing program in order to present to the parliament, according to relevant laws. Yet, he soon completed the formation and asked the parliament early Thursday to cast a vote of confidence on his new cabinet.

Moldova suddenly fell into a political crisis on Tuesday when the coalition government of Prime Minister Maia Sandu was toppled in a motion of censure filed by the coalition member Socialist Party, which was dissatisfied with Sandu's decision to change the rules and take on the power to appoint the prosecutor general without consulting them.

President Dodon on Wednesday nominated Chicu, his adviser and former finance minister, to form a technocratic government, on the grounds that the Socialists, the largest and the only party that is likely to form a joint cabinet with other political parties in parliament, failed the negotiations to form a parliamentary majority government with the ACUM alliance, the formation with which the Socialists had been in governing coalition since this June.