Prime Minister reserves right to reshuffle Tofan Cabinet
The 16 ministers appointed to the government led by Vasile Tofan will be evaluated after their first 3 to 6 months in office. Based on their performance, the Prime Minister reserves the right to make changes to the composition of the Executive. This was stated by PAS deputy Andrian Băluțel during the July 20 edition of the "La 360 de grade" show on Radio Moldova.
According to the parliamentarian, Tofan has set himself the goal from the beginning of combining the continuity of ongoing projects with a “new infusion of energy” in the Government, and the evaluation of ministers will be based on results.
“Mr. Tofan said from the first day he was appointed that he must combine, in terms of human resources, two elements. The first is the high speed at which we are moving, including along the community path, in the processes that are underway, in the infrastructure investments that are taking place, and, on the other hand, a new infusion of people and new energy is needed. Mr. Tofan has mentioned very clearly that he is reserving 3-6 months for the evaluation of ministers and reserves the right to come up with certain changes in the government team,” said Băluțel.
The PAS deputy claims that this approach shows Vasile Tofan will be an “active” prime minister who will demand results from his Cabinet members.
At the same time, the MP noted that changes in the Government should not affect the reforms already underway and the important processes for the Republic of Moldova, including those related to European integration.
"On the other hand, he understands that he wants this process of change not to interrupt the important processes that are underway. What we see is rather that there is a desire to continue certain processes and we must recognize that there are quite significant successes in terms of European reforms", the MP explained.
According to him, one of the main challenges for the new Government will be striking a balance between implementing reforms and protecting citizens from the potential negative effects of those changes. The MP noted that Vasile Tofan comes from the business environment and will have to demonstrate that he can attract investments and reduce bureaucratic barriers for companies.
Why were only four ministers replaced?
Asked why the new government no longer includes the interim Minister of Health, Emil Ceban, the acting Minister of Culture, Cristian Jardan, the Minister of Finance, Adrian Gavriliță, and the Minister of Agriculture, Ludmila Catlabuga, Andrian Băluțel explained that Vasile Tofan's decision was to "energize" the government team and bring in new people, including in the context of the controversies that have arisen in the public space.
Referring to the departure of the Minister of Finance, Băluțel said that Adrian Gavriliță took on a difficult fiscal reform, and the controversies surrounding it created pressure on the ministry.
"Mr. Gavriliță took on a complicated and necessary reform. Obviously, there were elements that were discussed peripherally or less politically. There were elements that were communicated incorrectly and this led to the emergence of many falsehoods and misinformation related to fiscal policy. Even though we greatly appreciate the activity of Mr. Gavriliță and the political commitment that he took on his shoulders, we need a new face, a new energy, but at the same time the ability to deliver and continue this reform with a new breath", Băluțel declared.
In the case of the interim Minister of Health, Emil Ceban, the PAS deputy said he does not know the exact reason for the change, which must be explained by the designated prime minister. However, Băluțel mentioned the high pressure on the medical system and the multiple crises the ministry is managing.
"Minister Ceban has mentioned several times that there is a lot of pressure on the sector. He tried to deliver a lot. I saw that he handled it well, with several crises that reached the public space related to the ministry," said the parliamentarian.
Regarding the departure of interim Minister of Culture Cristian Jardan, Băluțel rejected speculation that this was related to the scandal regarding high-salaried employment in institutions subordinate to the ministry. According to Băluțel, the change is related to the desire to pay greater attention to the field of culture.
"Many have seen on Telegram and social networks that Mr. Jardan's departure is linked to the scandal surrounding the hiring. Things that he regrets, that we regret, that did not depend on him, but it is not related to this. Mr. Suruceanu is from the field of culture, he is a sculptor by profession, he is part of a family where all members are from the field of culture and has been part of the cultural scene in the Republic of Moldova for many years", explained the PAS deputy.
Referring to the change at the Ministry of Agriculture, where Ludmila Catlabuga is no longer in the new Government, Andrian Băluțel spoke about the promotion of Sergiu Musteață and his experience at the helm of the National Food Safety Agency (ANSA).
"I saw how Mr. Musteață performed in the field of food safety, opening the export of eggs and poultry meat to the European Union, largely due to the phytosanitary changes operated by ANSA", declared Băluțel.
According to him, the efficiency of the institution has increased in recent years, and the results obtained demonstrate that civil servants can advance even without political affiliation.
"I saw an increase in the number of cases in which ANSA detects harmful batches. So the efficiency of this institution has increased significantly in recent years. It is an example for people in the public sector, civil servants who do not follow a political line. It is a very clear message for everyone in the public sector that, when you perform and work, you do not necessarily need to have a party card to grow, including in political positions", said the deputy.
Will there be more changes in the Government?
Asked if other changes are expected in the Government, including at the Ministry of Justice or the Ministry of Internal Affairs, where there has been public criticism regarding the communication of ministers, Băluțel said that the evaluation announced by Vasile Tofan targets all members of the Cabinet.
"I believe that this has not been decided and is not clear at the moment. Mr. Tofan's statement that he will evaluate the ministers in 3-6 months, that he will propose certain changes in the Government either in three or six months, does not concern only the ministers who remained from the former cabinet. It concerns absolutely the entire cabinet of ministers," Băluțel declared.
Regarding the areas of justice, internal affairs and defense, the deputy said that these require efficient administration rather than intense public communication.
"In the case of the security bloc, as we say, there are blocs in which many of the processes that are happening do not necessarily need to be communicated. It is necessary to manage the sector efficiently", he said.
Băluțel mentioned that in the field of justice, the process of external evaluation of judges and prosecutors would have resumed at a faster pace.
"In Justice, for some time there was a certain delay, for example, in the vetting process. Now, from what I understand, there has been a return to a pace of completing the vetting procedure, which involves cleaning the system and checking all prosecutors and judges in the management structures. This process was very late at a certain point. From what I know, it has returned to a more accelerated pace, which is a good indicator", concluded the PAS deputy.
Entrepreneur Vasile Tofan was nominated by President Maia Sandu as the candidate for prime minister on July 11, at the proposal of the Action and Solidarity Party, the majority party in Parliament. He will make only four changes to the Executive, with the ministries of Health, Agriculture, Culture and Finance to be headed by new ministers.
The Tofan government will seek a parliamentary investiture vote on July 21, almost three weeks after former Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu submitted his resignation.
