Moldova prime minister Alexandru Munteanu resigns citing loss of mandate, as MOLDATSA salary scandal engulfs government

The resignation

Alexandru Munteanu, who had led Moldova's government since November 2025, announced his resignation in a surprise post on X on Friday. The 62-year-old former World Bank official provided no detailed explanation, stating only that he chose to step down once he realised he could no longer exercise his mandate in line with his principles and convictions.

Today, my term as prime minister comes to an end. The moment I realised that I could no longer exercise my mandate according to my principles and beliefs, I chose to resign.

The resignation, under Moldova's constitution, also triggers the fall of the entire cabinet. President Maia Sandu said Munteanu would remain in a caretaker capacity until a successor is appointed, with consultations with parliamentary factions set to begin next week.

The MOLDATSA scandal

The prime minister's departure coincides with a widening scandal over salaries at MoldATSA, the state agency for airspace safety. Last month, the head of the civil aviation authority, Dumitru Vangheli, was dismissed after it emerged that his university degree and pilot's licence were forged. He had also claimed to have flown aircraft not belonging to the company's fleet.

Following his appointment, salaries at the agency increased by 150%, with his own pay reaching 5,. Media reports have also flagged excessive compensation at other state-owned enterprises, fuelling public anger in one of Europe's poorest countries.

Political fallout

The resignation poses a challenge for President Sandu and her pro-European Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS), which holds a majority in Moldova's 101-seat parliament and is in its second consecutive term. Sandu rejected speculation that Munteanu had been prevented from tackling abuses of power, telling journalists he had complete freedom to lead the government as he saw fit and had resigned voluntarily.

The path of Moldova remains unchanged: reforms and EU accession.

Political analyst Vitalie Andrievski described the situation as an acute governance crisis, saying the government was at a crossroads and that authorities were trying to appoint an obedient prime minister to mask the turmoil. EU ambassador Iwona Piorko reaffirmed the bloc's support for Moldova's accession bid.

Who is Alexandru Munteanu

Before becoming prime minister, Munteanu held senior roles at the National Bank of Moldova and at the World Bank in Washington. He also founded and served as managing partner of 4i Capital Partners, an investment firm managing portfolios in Moldova, Ukraine, and Belarus. He spent some 20 years working abroad before returning to take the premiership after PAS's decisive victory in the September 2025 parliamentary elections over a Russia-aligned rival.

What comes next

Sandu will begin consultations with parliamentary parties on Monday to identify a candidate for prime minister. The resignation of the government does not automatically trigger parliamentary or presidential elections. Moldova, a former Soviet republic situated between Ukraine and Romania, remains a candidate for EU accession, a process that both Sandu and Munteanu had pledged to complete by the end of the decade.