The decision was made on Friday, July 31, at a meeting of the party’s National Political Council.
“I would like to thank the Respect Moldova team for their warm welcome. I was delighted to reunite with colleagues I had previously worked with,” Mariana Durleșteanu stated on social media following the announcement of the decision.
Mariana Durleșteanu has extensive experience in public administration, diplomacy, and the international corporate sector. She served as Minister of Finance of the Republic of Moldova from 2008 to 2009 in the government of Zinaida Greceanîi. She later served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and also held the position of Vice President of Finance and Risk at KazMunayGas International (Rompetrol Group).
In the party’s new leadership structure, the positions of deputy chairpersons were filled by Marian Lupu, former Speaker of the Moldovan Parliament, and Lilia Pogolşa, former Minister of Education, Culture, and Research in Ion Chicu’s government. The party’s chair is Veaceslav Burlak, former head of the Criuleni district.
Recently, Mariana Durleșteanu has become noticeably more active in the public sphere. She has been critical of the current government’s policies, has commented on economic and social issues, and has participated remotely in some protests.
It is worth recalling that in 2021, Mariana Durleșteanu became a candidate for the position of Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova as part of an attempt to form a “transitional government.” Her candidacy was put forward by a group of PSRM deputies during the political crisis that followed the resignation of Ion Chicu’s government. However, the appointment never took place: amid disputes between Parliament and the president over the formation of a new government, Durleștianu changed her mind and withdrew her candidacy.
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