Moldovan pro-European President Maia Sandu today appointed economist and businessman Alexandru Mundeanu as prime minister, following his party’s victory in last month’s parliamentary elections.

“After consultations with parliamentary groups, I signed today the decree appointing Mr. Alexandru Mudeanu as a candidate for the post of Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova,” Sandu said via Facebook.

The centre-right Action and Solidarity Party (PAS) secured 55 seats out of 101 in September, a number sufficient to form a new self-ruling government and keep the former Soviet republic on a pro-European course.

The elections were seen as crucial for the future of the country of 2.4 million people, which borders Ukraine and Romania.

Parliament is expected to approve Mundeanu’s appointment by vote next week.

Aleksandru Mundeanu, 61, has no experience in politics and has made rare public appearances.

In 2016, he founded an investment management firm in Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine, where he lived for several years before moving to Bucharest after the large-scale Russian invasion in 2022. He has Moldovan, Romanian, and American citizenship.