Box of discord: Munteanu's departure from the post of Moldovan Prime Minister will hit Sandu's positions

The Moldovan parliament admits the possibility of the resignation of President Maia Sandu — more and more politicians are already talking about the need to impeach her. This was stated to Izvestia by the deputy of the legislative body Bogdan Tsyrdya. On July 3, Prime Minister Alexandre Munteanu announced his voluntary termination of office, and the entire cabinet is leaving with him. This happened against the background of a corruption scandal surrounding the current president. Sandu has become a "lame duck" and has completely lost the image of an honest politician, according to the parliament. There is already a split in the ruling PAS party. About the political crisis in Moldova and how the change of government will affect the EU accession negotiations, see the Izvestia article.

What is known about Muntyan's resignation

Moldova is facing a deep government crisis following the unexpected resignation of Prime Minister Alexandre Munteanu. On July 3, the politician announced that he was leaving his post, explaining the decision by the inability to perform duties "in accordance with his principles and beliefs."

According to the Constitution, the current Government will continue to serve temporarily until a new Cabinet is formed and sworn in. President Maia Sandu promptly responded to the incident, calling an emergency press conference just an hour after the Prime minister's statement. The Head of State announced the start of official consultations with parliamentary factions next week to nominate a new candidate for prime minister, who will have 15 days to form a government.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu

Photo: RIA Novosti/Dmitry Osmatesco

— More and more politicians are already talking about the need to impeach Maya Sandu or her resignation. She has already become a lame duck who has completely lost the image of an honest politician," Moldovan MP Bogdan Tsyrdea told Izvestia.

The ruling Action and Solidarity (PAS) party tried to react to Munteanu's resignation with restraint, trying to demonstrate political stability and cohesion. Among the internal leaders of the PAS, Parliament Speaker Igor Grosa is considered the main contender. His nomination would mean a transition to direct party governance without the involvement of technocrats from the outside. Gross has absolute trust within the faction, which guarantees a quick and well-coordinated vote.

Another strong figure is the Minister of Education, Dan Perchun. Given that Maia Sandu called the personal conflict between Munteanu and Percun one of the main reasons for the resignation of the prime minister, the minister's position within the party core is stronger than ever. Dorin Rechan's return as an experienced crisis manager and enforcer is also possible.

Photo: RIA Novosti/Alexey Nikolsky

The main request for the future head of the cabinet is to be a tough team player. Munteanu, a retired non-partisan investment banker, often distanced himself from the PAS, so now the government is looking for a person who is maximally integrated into the party structure. The opposition, represented by Igor Dodon and Ilan Shor, has already stated that it will not support any candidate from power and demands early elections. Nevertheless, the PAS votes in parliament are quite enough to approve the new government on its own.

— A real war of various factions has begun in the PAS. The Spynu group, the Rechan group and the Grosu group. The war is so fierce that many are already talking about a real split. Many people want to get out, but they are afraid of prosecutors, the Information and Security Service and the harsh reaction of external partners who control the country," said Bogdan Tsyrdea.

How does Munteanu's departure threaten Sandu and the negotiations with the EU

The trigger of the crisis was the publication of a series of investigative journalism. Reporters found out that Maia Sandu's relative, Anastasia Taburcanu, received high salaries in two structures at once — the MoldATSA state agency and the EU project, while working remotely from Slovenia. After the scandal about the appointment without a competition and the absence of a workplace, the EU delegation began an inspection.

On June 25, Sandu stated that she did not know about her sister's employment and demanded the return of "undeserved money." Four days later, on June 29, MP Radu Marian resigned as head of the parliamentary commission on economics: he admitted that he had promoted Dumitru Vangeli to the post of MoldATSA director in vain, who had given Taburcana a job. On the same day, Roman Kozhukhar, head of the State Property Agency, who oversaw MoldATSA, left the post. On June 30, Parliament Speaker and PAS leader Igor Grossu announced Taburceanu's expulsion from the party.

Photo: RIA Novosti/Alexey Maishev

Now, citizens — even those who fully support European integration — will openly make it clear that the next parliamentary and presidential elections are unlikely to be as successful for the PAS as in 2024-2025, Nicole Bodisteanu, an analyst at the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, told Izvestia.

Sandu faces an important question: how to explain what is happening to Brussels. The scandal will affect the negotiations with the EU one way or another — the only question is how much. Negotiations on joining the association are underway in six thematic cluster blocks, and on June 15, Moldova opened the first of them, Fundamentals. It covers the rule of law, the work of institutions, and the fight against corruption. According to EU rules, this cluster opens first and closes last — the pace of work on the other five depends on its progress. Eight days after the opening of the Fundamentals, an investigation on salaries in MoldATSA was released. In November 2025, Munteanu promised to resign if Moldova does not join the EU by 2028.

Political analyst Artyom Purchun notes that an abrupt end to negotiations should not be expected: Ukraine's experience shows that Brussels rarely associates individual corruption scandals with a course revision. However, skeptics within the EU, especially Hungary, will have a reason to slow down the opening of the next clusters until Chisinau shows real anti—corruption cases.

Photo: Global Look Press/Michael Kappeler

Nevertheless, Moldova's reputation in European capitals is clearly damaged. "These negotiations are already stalling, there is no clear date for entry. The scandal has already affected Moldova's position — articles about Moldovan corruption have appeared in the European press," said Tsyrdea.

The demand to hold early elections, already expressed by Igor Dodon and other oppositionists, will be rejected by the majority of the PAS in parliament. However, the formation of a new cabinet may be delayed. All this time, the government will work in the acting mode, limited to current functions — a full-fledged cabinet is needed for strategic decisions on reforms. Negotiations with the EU will not stop, but their pace may slow down in the coming months due to the need to overcome the internal government crisis and form a new capable cabinet.