A new majority was formed in Moldova’s parliament by the Democratic Party (PD) of Marian Lupu and Vlad Plahotniuc on January 11, with the support of the Liberal Party (PL), as well as 14 MPs that recently left the Communist Party (PCRM), 8 MPs that left the Liberal Democrat Party (PLDM) and one independent MP.

The new coalition wants to announce a prime minister candidate by January 13, and will ask President Nicolae Timofti, as per a decision of the Constitutional Court endorsed at the end of last year, to designate it by default for the formation of a cabinet. The civic platform DA (Dignity and Truth), recently turned into a political party, however, announced imminent demonstrations and urged President Timofti not to designate a prime minister candidate “not endorsed by the people”.

The nomination of a prime minister candidate will significantly impact the coalition’s credibility, but as long as controversial businessman Vlad Plahotniuc remains the vice-president of the senior ruling Democratic Party, the odds for credibility among the country’s foreign partners remains thin.

Moldova's parliament has to appoint a new prime minister by January 29, after which President Nicolae Timofti must call early elections, 14 months after the last parliamentary elections in November 2014. A first candidate, independent Ion Sturza, failed to receive lawmakers' endorsements on January 4.

The decision of the 8 PLDM MPs to support a prime minister candidate proposed by PD, on January 11, was the crucial step in the formation of the new majority. The eight MPs have not left PLDM, but announced their commitment to supporting a prime minister candidate proposed by PD, with a view of securing political stability and the country’s European integration, according to a statement published by deschide.md.

The 56 MP strong coalition, which will possibly further expand in the coming days according to PD president Marian Lupu, will shortly propose a prime minister, according to the first statement of the political alliance, published by deschide.md.

The new parliamentary majority also wants to identify solutions for the election of a new president, scheduled for March this year.

The coalition pledged to continue the European integration and modernisation of the country, including by the implementation of the Association Agreement and of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area. The coalition also pledged to reform the institutions and promote reforms aimed at eventually making Moldova a European Union member.

The statement issued by the new majority also includes firm promises on anti-corruption efforts and the re-opening of cooperation with the country’s foreign development partners.

The party with the largest number of MPs in parliament, which is the Democratic Party, has the right to nominate the new prime minister candidate.