The ministers designate will be sworn in on January 10, 2018. The appointment decrees are to be signed by Speaker of Parliament Andrian Candu, who holds office of President of Moldova on an interim basis. Andrian Candu will also promulgate the law to amend and supplement the Broadcasting Code that was reexamined by Parliament on December 22, 2017. The investiture will take place at the State Residence at 10am, IPN has learned from the Parliament’s Communication and Public Relations Division.

According to the Constitutional Court, President Igor Dodon’s refusal to fulfill his constitutional duties to name the new members of the Cabinet at the rerun suggestion of the Prime Minister and to promulgate the amendments to the Broadcasting Code after Parliament adopted the given law the second time justified the suspension of the President from office so that the relevant decrees could be signed.

The judgments that justify the suspension were passed on January 2 and, respectively, January 5. The Cabinet reshuffle was announced on December 19. The Cabinet will be joined by: Cristina Lesnic, Chiril Gaburici, Svetlana Cebotari, Liviu Volconovici, Tudor Ulianovschi, Alexandru Tanase, and Iurie Leanca, with the latter being proposed for the new post of deputy prime minister for European integration. The changes made to the Broadcasting Code ban the transmission of news, feature, military and political radio and TV programs produced in other states than the EU member states, the U.S., Canada and the countries that ratified the European Convention on Transfrontier Television.

In October 2017, Eugeniu Sturza was invested as minister of defense in similar conditions, by a decree signed by Andrian Candu as acting President.