Romania Hails Moldova's New PM-Designate

Romanians have welcomed news that Moldovan President Nicolae Timofit has asked Ion Sturza, a wealthy pro-Western businessman who also has Romanian citizenship, to form a new government.

"This is a good news as Sturza has a clear a pro-European outlook. The problem is that he has to form a new political majority in Moldova, which is not easy,"  journalist Cristian Pantazi said.

Sturza on Monday said he would choose a cabinet of technocrats and would start talks with parliamentary parties this week.

His task could be tricky, as three pro-European parties have tried and failed to agree on a candidate for the post of prime minister recently, since parliament dissolved the last government following a string of corruption scandals.

Former Prime Minister Vlad Filat was arrested in October for his alleged role in the disappearance of up to 1.5 billion US dollars from three banks before the elections last year.

It is still unclear whether parliament will approve Sturza's nomination. He needs at least 51 votes in the 101-member chamber.

Sturza, 55, was Moldova's prime minister for several months in 1999. He was the first politician to openly say that Moldova's future was linked to its integration into the European Union.

He also tried to start a reformist program by privatizing some state-run companies and by restructuring the administration.

However, parliament forced his resignation only after nine months in office.

After leaving politics, he returned to business and founded several companies, most of them based in Romania, where he owns an online retailer and a shopping mall. He has also investments in mining.

Sturza has a fortune of some 40 million euro, according to the list of wealthiest people in Romania,...