By Alexander Tanas
CHISINAU (Reuters) – Moldova’s parliament on Thursday nominated the country’s ambassador to Russia as prime minister, in a challenge to the candidate proposed by President Maia Sandu.
The move is likely to prolong wrangling between Sandu, who became president in November on a pro-European Union ticket, and a parliament still dominated by lawmakers aligned with her pro-Russian predecessor, Igor Dodon.
Sandu has previously accused parliament of trying to sabotage her leadership and is pushing to hold a parliamentary election, which she says is needed to give her more power to fight corruption and tackle the coronavirus pandemic.
Sandu on Tuesday nominated Igor Grosu as prime minister, prompting a constitutional challenge from lawmakers.
Corneliu Furculita, head of the parliamentary faction of Dodon’s Socialist party, invited Sandu for more talks.
“The purpose of the consultations is to comply with the constitution, which stipulates that the president should consult with parliamentary factions in order to determine a candidate for prime minister,” he said.
Sandu’s office did not immediately commented on Golovatiuc’s nomination. The Constitutional Court is due to rule on Sandu’s nomination of Grosu, whom she proposed after parliament rejected her first candidate.
Moldova has been beset by instability and corruption scandals in recent years, including the disappearance of $1 billion from the banking system.
(Writing by Matthias Williams; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
