Moldova's Sandu nominates financier Vasile Tofan as prime minister

Maia Sandu signed a decree on July 11 nominating 44-year-old financier Vasile Tofan to become Moldova’s next prime minister, elevating a Horizon Capital senior partner as the country faces economic strain and geopolitical pressure. The move followed consultations with parliamentary factions and came a day after Action and Solidarity Party speaker Igor Grosu said PAS would put Tofan forward.

Tofan’s nomination replaces Alexandru Munteanu, who stepped down earlier this month and said he could no longer do the job in accordance with his convictions, without giving further details. Sandu thanked Munteanu for his service and for launching what she called difficult but needed reforms, even as his departure fed a broader sense of political churn in Chisinau. Moldovan constitutional rules give the nominee 15 days to seek a vote of confidence from parliament.

Tofan enters the post with a business background that is likely to matter as much as his politics. He supported Sandu in the 2024 presidential election and backed PAS in the 2025 parliamentary contest, making him a politically aligned choice for a government trying to preserve reform momentum while reassuring investors and Western partners. His first public priorities were to restore public trust, restore optimism among Moldovan businesses, and secure an accession agreement with the European Union by the end of 2028.

The choice lands in a country whose foreign policy has long been pulled in two directions. Moldova borders Ukraine and EU member Romania, has a Romanian-speaking majority and a large Russian-speaking minority, and its politics have repeatedly swung between pro-European and pro-Moscow camps. In that setting, Sandu’s decision to turn to a financier signals a preference for technocratic stability over political improvisation, but it also leaves room for a reform gamble: a cabinet led by a private-sector figure must still prove it can deliver on state credibility, business confidence and the EU track at the same time.