Moldovan parliament approves new pro-Western PM’s government

By STEPHEN McGRATH and CRISTIAN JARDAN
Associated Press

CHISINAU, Moldova (AP) — Moldovan lawmakers have voted in favor of a new government led by pro-Western economist Dorin Recean, as the country signals a shift to security concerns amid Russia’s ongoing war in neighboring Ukraine. Recean, a 48-year-old economist who served for a year as President Maia Sandu’s defense and security adviser, was appointed by her last week after Natalia Gavrilita suddenly quit the premiership. All lawmakers present from Moldova’s ruling Party of Action and Solidarity, which holds 63 seats in the country’s 101-seat legislature, voted in favor of Recean’s government. The Moscow-friendly parties, the Communists and Socialists, which hold 31 seats, abstained from voting, and the 6-seat Shor Party boycotted the vote.