President Maia Sandu formally nominated investor Vasile Tofan as prime minister on Saturday, one day after the PAS parliamentary faction selected him as its candidate. If approved by parliament, Tofan will become Moldova’s second consecutive prime minister drawn directly from the international investment world.
Following this announcement from PAS, Tofan posted on facebook writing:
“The Republic of Moldova has had many remarkable victories in recent years, and now we have the historic chance to become an EU state and to build a European and free future for our country and for all our children. This success depends on all of us - it was from this perspective that I accepted with great responsibility the candidacy for the position of prime minister proposed by PAS.
I understand the gravity of the moment, but also the real perspective of taking Moldova where it should have been 20 years ago. We have no right to miss this historic opportunity. I will devote all my energy, all that I have learned and know to make the country succeed and meet the expectations of its citizens.”
This morning President Sandu officially nominated Vasile Tofan as candidate for prime minister. At the event Tofan spoke saying:
“It is a great honor to be here. I do not see it as an achievement, it is a great responsibility, I am overwhelmed by this responsibility. I will do everything in my power to live up to the expectations of Moldovans. I look forward to getting to work as quickly as possible, to make the lives of Moldovans better,”
In his remarks he outlined 3 major priorities for his government as follows:
1. Restoring, building and strengthening trust: “Many people are disappointed. I will rebuild that trust by acting boldly and carrying out reforms.”
2. Restarting the economy: “We cannot improve people’s lives unless we restart the economy, and that work must happen on the ground. From my very first days, I will focus on restoring optimism among entrepreneurs. We need to bring that optimism back, so that people once again have a sparkle in their eyes.”
3. Politics, government and business are team sports: “None of this can be achieved alone. I am a team player, and I am coming in to build strong teams together. Everyone who is honest, courageous and hardworking will have an ally in me. Everything we do will be aimed at bringing Moldova into the European Union as soon as possible.”
Who is Vasile Tofan?
Vasile Tofan has an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Masters in Public Administration from Erasmus University Rotterdam. He’s had a long career in the private sector, working as a consultant for Monitor Deloitte, as a manager for Corporate Strategy and Alliances at Philips and now in a leadership role at Horizon Capital which he joined in 2012. There, as a Senior Partner on the Investment Committee he led Horizon’s investments in Purcari Winery, the Glass Container Company in Chisinau and Moldova Agroindbank (MAIB). He serves on the board of MAIB, Ukrainian IT company Intellias, AMCHAM Moldova, Startup Moldova and Media Alternative which owns TV8 and 1TV.
In addition to his business career, Tofan has been a consistent public advocate for economic reform. He is a co-founder of the Europa 2028 civic movement which brought together 28 economists, entrepreneurs and investors who are “united by the idea that Moldova can make an economic leap if we follow simple and effective steps, already tested by other small countries such as Estonia, Ireland, Singapore or New Zealand. The economy must dominate the political agenda.” The movement’s manifesto centers European accession by 2028 and the need for sweeping economic reforms to ensure that Moldova takes advantage of European integration and Moldovan companies are competitive within the bloc.
Following the 2025 parliamentary elections, Tofan was offered the role as prime minister but turned it down saying that he was unable to untangle himself from his corporate responsibilities and that no one should be wiling to entrust “the future of Moldova to a leader ready to abandon 22 companies and a team of over 51 thousand people”.
He is seen as close to former Prime Minister Munteanu and is alleged to have put his name forward when he turned down the role himself.