Moldovan Parliament approves the Grecianyi Cabinet

The Government led by Zinaida Greceanyi has been invested in office on Monday, March 31, with the vote of the parliamentary majority. The Moldovan Parliament approved the new Government’s program and full line-up with the vote of 56 MPs (55 Communist MPs plus unaffiliated Vladimir Ciobanu, chair of the parliamentary commission on public administration). The Opposition abstained. The Greceanyi Cabinet’s line-up includes 15 ministers that served in the second Tarlev cabinet and six new figures. Six members of the Ministers’ Cabinet are women. The position of First Deputy Prime Minister is held by Igor Dodon, who will continue to serve as Economy and trade Minister. Deputy Prime Ministers are Victor Stepaniuc and Andrei Stratan, concurrently serving as Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration. Among the “old new” ministers are Anatolie Gorodenco – Agriculture and Food Industry Minister; Vasile Ursu – Transport and Road Management Minister; Violeta Ivanov – Ecology and Natural Resources Minister; Galina Balmos – Minister of Social Protection, Family and Child; Artur Cozma – Culture and Tourism Minister; Vitalie Parlog – Justice Minister; Vitalie Vrabie – Defense Minister; Vasile Sova – Reintegration Minister; and Valentin Guznac – Minister for Local Public Administration. The new ministers are Valentin Mejinschi (former head of the Center for Combating Economic Crimes and Corruption) – Internal Affairs Minister, and Mariana Durlesteanu (former ambassador to United Kingdom) – Finance Minister. Deputy Minister Pavel Buceatchi has been promoted to head the Information Development Ministry, while Deputy Minister Larisa Catrinici the Public Health Ministry. The new Minister of Education and Youth is university professor Larisa Savga, pro-rector of the Moldovan Commercial University. The ex-director the recently dissolved Agency for Construction and Territorial Development will now head the freshly formed Ministry of Construction and Territorial Development. In addition, the Cabinet sittings will be attended by to ex officio members – Gagauzia’s Governor Mihail Formuzal and the president of the Moldovan Academy of Sciences Gheorghe Duca. The activity program of the Greceanyi Government is called “Progress and Integration” and consists of five main directions of activity – improving governance, strengthening democratic institutions, ensuring Moldova’s security and integrity, improving economic competitiveness, and promoting social inclusion.