VIDEO // President nominates Vasile Tofan as candidate for Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova

President Maia Sandu has nominated Vasile Tofan as candidate for the position of prime minister of the Republic of Moldova. The announcement was made today by the head of state during a press briefing held jointly with Speaker Igor Grosu and the designated candidate Vasile Tofan, at the Presidency.

The decision was presented by Maia Sandu following consultations with the parliamentary factions to identify and nominate a candidate for the position of prime minister.

“Starting from the objectives and priorities of the Republic of Moldova, I have decided to nominate Vasile Tofan as candidate for the position of prime minister. I would like to remind you that the main tasks of this government are: ensuring the completion of all processes necessary for achieving the country’s European integration in the coming years, further strengthening the resilience of state institutions as well as of society as a whole, and, of course, relaunching the economy so that we can raise the living standards of our citizens and develop the country,” said Maia Sandu.

Grosu emphasized that the Action and Solidarity Party (PAS) parliamentary faction proposed Vasile Tofan’s candidacy to the head of state, a candidacy that reflects the objectives and commitments assumed before the citizens.

“The main priority remains achieving all the objectives regarding the European integration process. The PAS parliamentary faction will provide all necessary support and will stand by this very important process in order to successfully complete all the projects that have been started. I wish Vasile Tofan success. We are a team and we will bring all these things to a successful conclusion,” stressed Igor Grosu.

Nominated as candidate for the position of prime minister Vasile Tofan said that this decision represents a great responsibility for him.

“It is an honor to be here. I do not see this moment as an achievement, but as a great responsibility. We must correctly acknowledge this responsibility and the very high level of expectations of Moldovans. I want us to get through this period together and to work as a team. I hope we will devote all our energy and all our knowledge to making Moldovans’ lives better,” remarked Vasile Tofan.

He announced three priorities for his future activity, focusing on restoring citizens’ trust, restarting the country’s economy, and teamwork.

“The first objective is to restore and strengthen trust. I know how Moldovans feel because the last few weeks have been difficult. Many people are disappointed. I want to assure you that I also hear these things; my parents, my relatives, and my neighbors hear them too. I will focus strongly on rebuilding this trust, and I understand that it can be regained only through courage: through interventions, through changes, through reforms, and through assuming difficult decisions. Secondly, we cannot achieve what we set out to do and we cannot improve people’s lives if we do not restart the economy. The economy is not built in ministries or in bureaucrats’ offices. The economy is built in the field, in the small farm, in the factory, and in the IT park. Therefore, from the very first days I will focus on restoring and boosting the optimism of entrepreneurs, starting first and foremost with local entrepreneurs. The currency of entrepreneurs is optimism. We must bring back this optimism so that people regain a sparkle in their eyes and want to invest, take risks, and develop projects in the Republic of Moldova,” he underlined.

Vasile Tofan sent a message to all public servants in the Republic of Moldova, urging them to work as a team.

“Politics, governance, and the business environment are all team sports. You cannot achieve anything alone. I know that many of you may be worried, including because of some of my statements that were not sufficiently well understood. But I want to send a clear message: I am a team player and I am coming to build together a strong team. All those who share our values, all those who are honest, courageous, competent, and hardworking should know that they will always have an ally in me. Everything we do is to make Moldovans’ lives better and to bring the Republic of Moldova into the European Union as soon as possible. We have a lot of work to do in this direction. This is the chance of our generation, and I very much want us to succeed together.”

According to the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova, the designated candidate must, within 15 days, request a vote of confidence from Parliament for the Government’s activity program and for the composition of the Government.