The government in Chișinău has fallen as Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu announced his resignation on Friday. Munteanu had assumed office on October 31, following the electoral victory of the Action and Solidarity Party (PAS), led by President Maia Sandu.
In his resignation statement, Munteanu expressed, “At the moment I realized I could no longer exercise my mandate in accordance with my principles and beliefs, I choose to leave.” In a subsequent conference, President Sandu addressed the situation, stating, “The speculations that he wanted to fight against abuses and was not allowed are false.”
Following his resignation, Munteanu will serve as acting Prime Minister until a new leader is appointed. Reports indicate that Sandu urged ministers to continue their work, especially in relation to European integration.
When asked about potential candidates for the next Prime Minister, Sandu remarked that it is too early to discuss candidates and emphasized the need for consultations with parliamentary factions.
“It is never easy to identify candidates for the position of Prime Minister and even for ministers. I cannot predict how long it will take, but we need to establish a government fairly quickly, particularly due to the opening of EU accession negotiations,” she said.
Former President Igor Dodon commented on Munteanu’s resignation, labeling it as “the beginning of the end of the most cynical, hypocritical, and corrupt government in the country’s history.” He claimed, “The first heavy piece of a domino—called the PAS government—has fallen. Prime Minister Munteanu left a ship that has proven to be rotten.” Dodon demanded early elections, stating, “The society awaits and demands early elections.”
Sandu alluded to an issue regarding the interpersonal relationship between Munteanu and the Minister of Education and Research, but did not elaborate further.
“No conditions were presented by Alexandru Munteanu regarding restructuring or the fight against corruption. There was only one objection concerning the interpersonal relationship with the Minister of Education and Research, Dan Perciun. But there was no other discussion with conditions,” Sandu explained.
She expressed gratitude towards Munteanu while also criticizing his performance, saying, “I appreciate the efforts made by Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu.” However, Sandu rejected the notion that he was unable to fulfill his role as he suggested in his resignation message. “Prime Minister Munteanu had the freedom to lead the government as he deemed fit. He chose to leave,” she added.
Sandu acknowledged Munteanu as a decent person, yet conveyed her expectation for more involvement in complex decisions and engagement with the public regarding necessary reforms.
She indicated plans to initiate consultations for appointing a new Prime Minister next week.
Responding to Munteanu’s resignation, Vasile Costiuc, leader of the Democracy at Home Party, commented, “You were a figurative leader of the Government. Congratulations on not allowing yourself to be used in the despicable games of governance.”
“Today, I conclude my mandate as Prime Minister. I accepted the proposal to be premier with a great sense of responsibility and firm conviction that I could contribute to positive change,” Munteanu stated.
“When I realized that I could no longer exercise my mandate according to my principles and beliefs, I choose to leave. I thank all my colleagues—ministers, their teams, and the people who worked with professionalism and good faith,” he added.
Munteanu, who was appointed on October 24, 2025, immediately after the elections won by PAS, was given a vote of confidence by 55 deputies in the Moldovan Parliament on October 31.
His resignation follows a scandal at MoldATSA, the state entity managing the country’s airspace, triggered by a press investigation revealing that its director, Dumitru Vangheli, included false information in his employment CV. The investigation expanded to salaries and bonuses of employees.
The director was dismissed, leading to the resignation of the head of the parliamentary committee that recommended him, as well as the head of the agency monitoring MoldATSA’s activities.
Amid the scandal, the head of communications, who is also Sandu’s cousin, resigned after it was disclosed she earned over €6,000 monthly without clear justification.
Sandu stated in an interview that she learned about Vangheli’s CV issues from the media investigation and insisted that state institutions must clarify why the discrepancies were not identified in the checks.
Regarding her cousin’s employment, Sandu clarified she had no involvement in that hiring process. “I had no connection to this hiring, I did not recommend her, was not informed, nor consulted,” she confirmed. “I learned from recent press investigations about her hiring without competition and the salary she received,” Sandu added, while criticizing the pay levels for some employees at the agency.
