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By APD writer Adtiya Nugraha
Moldovan government has collapsed after 63 of 101 lawmakers backed a 'no confidence' vote in the ruling coalition in a recent parliamentary vote.
The coalition that supported Prime Minister Maia Sandu since July fell apart over the nomination of a new state prosecutor.
The roots of the crisis date back to the theft of US$1 billion from the nation's financial system in 2014, but a wider rift between those supportive of the European Union and those who prefer the Russian model is also key to understanding the government's collapse.
Sandu has vowed not to give up. She defined the fight as "between those who want to control justice and the prosecutor, and those who want freedom and fair justice."
The former World Bank (WB) staff Sandu has been viewed as a strong anti-corruption reformer by the EU.
The European Commission approved a US$ 25 million package to support reforms and anti-corruption measures by the Sandu government.
"Any change to [Sandu's] resolute action to reform the country over the last five months would have severe consequences on EU support," an EU Commissioner Johannes Hahn said.
Moldovan President Igor Dodon blamed Sandu for the fall of the coalition, saying that the Socialists should nominate a new prime minister who could control a minority government.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
