March 17 (SeeNews) - Moldova's prime minister Ion Chicu replaced five members of his cabinet with ministers from the Democratic Party (PDM), after his Socialist Party (PSRM) formed a coalition with PDM, the government said on Tuesday.
PDM now controls five of all nine minister seats, the government said in a press release.
Sergiu Railean is the new economy minister, Alexandru Pinzari will head the defence ministry, Oleg Tulea is the new foreign affairs minister. Igor Sarov is the new education minister, while Cristina Lesnic becomes deputy prime minister for integration.
The move aims to ensure the parliamentary majority needed to tackle the coronavirus crisis, Chicu said, as quoted in a PSRM press release.
As of Tuesday, Moldova has 29 confirmed coronavirus infection cases.
PSRM holds 37 of all 101 seats in Moldova's parliament, while PDM controls 22.
PSRM and PDM entered into a non-formal coalition in November, after the coalition cabinet of PSRM and the pro-EU bloc ACUM lost a no-confidence vote and collapsed.