Moldovan parliament backs new government

Moldova's parliament confirmed pro-Western President Maia Sandu's government on Friday after her PAS party won a snap election in July, promising to root out corruption and mend ties with the European Union.

Parliament approved Sandu's nomination of Natalia Gavrilita as the new prime minister by 61 votes in the 101 seat parliament.

Gavrilita, 43, was finance minister when Sandu was prime minister in 2019, in a short-lived government that fell in a no-confidence vote within months.

"We will cleanse state institutions of corrupt officials," Gavrilita said ahead of the vote.

Sandu defeated her pro-Russian predecessor Igor Dodon in a presidential election in November and called the snap parliamentary poll to consolidate her power.

Gavrilita's program includes an overhaul of the prosecutor's office, which she accused of slow-rolling corruption cases. Prosecutor General Alexandru Stoianoglo says his official acts are under the law.