Grosu: Tofan Formed His Cabinet Himself and Will Be Free to Reshuffle Ministers

Prime Minister Vasile Tofan independently selected the members of his cabinet and will be able to propose ministerial reshuffles in the future if he considers them necessary. Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu made the remarks during the Punctul pe AZi television program, tvrmoldova.md reports. According to Grosu, the current composition of the government was the result of discussions between the PAS leadership of and the prime minister. Each nominee was considered individually, with decisions based on the arguments presented by both sides. “He had the freedom to put forward his own proposals. We listened to and discussed every candidate. There were arguments we accepted, and when it became necessary for us to propose our own candidates, he also agreed with our reasoning. In the end, we arrived at the current composition of the government,” Grosu said. The speaker noted that the formation of the cabinet took into account the need to ensure continuity in governance and to fulfil Moldova’s commitments on its path toward European integration. He added that the government will soon have to negotiate the opening of additional EU accession negotiating clusters and submit an interim progress report on the country’s accession process by September 1. Grosu pointed out that only four ministers were replaced in the new cabinet and stressed that every personnel decision followed separate discussions. Commenting on the appointment of the new Finance Minister, Victoria Belous, the speaker said it was Prime Minister Tofan who proposed her candidacy. “The prime minister assessed the available candidates and concluded that Ms. Belous met the necessary criteria, given her experience in the Ministry of Finance, the State Tax Service, and Parliament. It was his initiative, which we supported,” Grosu said. He acknowledged that it was not an easy decision for the PAS parliamentary faction to send one of its own MPs into the government, but said the prime minister’s arguments convinced the party leadership. Asked whether future cabinet reshuffles were possible, including in ministries headed by PAS representatives, Grosu confirmed that the prime minister has the authority to make such proposals. “Any prime minister can come forward with such proposals. After working with the team for a certain period, if he believes that greater efficiency is needed or that a different approach is required in a particular area, he may propose the appropriate changes. They will be discussed and evaluated on the basis of all the relevant arguments,” the speaker said. According to Grosu, any future changes to the composition of the government will be assessed on the basis of their justification and the needs of the public administration.