# Party of Action and Solidarity

The Party of Action and Solidarity (Romanian: Partidul Acțiune și Solidaritate, PAS) is a liberal political party in Moldova. The PAS was founded by Maia Sandu, the former Minister of Education and the incumbent president of Moldova. A pro-European party, it is an observer of the European People's Party (EPP) and the International Democracy Union (IDU).

## History
### Formation

The party was created amid the 2015–2016 protests in Moldova and growing dissatisfaction with the ruling parties among citizens. On 23 December 2015, Maia Sandu posted a YouTube video in which she announced her intention to form a new political party. Her stated reason for doing so was the creation of a grassroots party, that would function based on the principles of internal democracy and would be financed through small donations. Sandu was elected as leader of the PAS on 15 May 2016 and the party was officially registered by the Ministry of Justice on 26 May. At the time of registration, the party had 7,500 members and 20 local organizations. In February 2017, the party applied for membership of the European People's Party (EPP).

### In coalition government: June 2019 – November 2019

In the 2019 Moldovan parliamentary election, the PAS and the Dignity and Truth Platform Party formed the NOW Platform electoral alliance, which gathered 26.8% of the votes. After the alliance split into two separate parliamentary groups, the PAS ended up with 15 seats. On 6 June, the Party announced that it was ready to form a coalition government with the pro-Russian Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova (PSRM) with the goal of freeing state institutions, which in their opinion were under oligarchic control. After the coalition was formed, PSRM leader Zinaida Greceanîi was elected as Speaker of the Parliament and the Sandu Cabinet was inaugurated. Largely because of the significant ideological differences between the ruling parties, the government only lasted for five months and was ousted on 12 November after the PSRM and the Democratic Party of Moldova voted in favor of a motion of no confidence.

### In opposition: November 2019 – July 2021

After the ousting of the Sandu cabinet, the PAS was in opposition. In the 2020 Moldovan presidential election, the party's candidate and leader Sandu was elected as President of Moldova. According to Moldovan law, the president cannot be a member of a political party which resulted in Sandu resigning from the office of party president and renouncing her party membership. Until the next party congress, the post of PAS president is held by first vice president Igor Grosu on an interim basis.

### In majority government: July 2021 – present

The PAS won by a landslide during the 2021 Moldovan parliamentary election, earning them 63 seats in the parliament. Igor Grosu was elected the President of the Moldovan Parliament. On 6 August 2021, Natalia Gavrilița was voted by 61 MPs as the Prime Minister of Moldova and she became the second PAS Prime Minister of Moldova, after Maia Sandu (2019). In early 2022, the party will hold a leadership election and is also expected to nominate a candidate for the 2023 Chișinău mayoral elections.

## Political positions

The PAS has been widely described as a pro-European, centrist or centre-right party that adheres to liberalism, social liberalism, and economic liberalism.

### Economic policies

According to its program, the PAS supports the idea of an economy "based on private initiative" and is in favor of a "significant reduction of bureaucracy in all stages of business". In the 2020 Moldovan presidential election campaign, the party's candidate Maia Sandu proposed raising the minimum wage to 2,000 lei (around 114 US dollars).

### Foreign policy

A member of the European People's Party (EPP), the PAS supports membership of Moldova in the European Union, establishing a strategic partnership with the United States, and maintaining a normal and non-confrontational relationship with Russia. The party supports strengthening Moldova's relationship with Romania but does not explicitly endorse the unification of Moldova and Romania.

## Leadership

| Nº | Name | Image | Term start | Term end | Term length |
| 1 | Maia Sandu | | 15 May 2016 | 10 December 2020 | 4 years, 6 months and 25 days |
| 2 | Igor Grosu | | 15 May 2022 | Incumbent | |

### Current leadership positions

* Igor Grosu – President; President of the Parliament
* Artur Mija – Secretary General; Secretary General of the Government
* Mihai Popșoi – Vice President; Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs
* Vladimir Bolea – Vice President; Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development
* Dan Perciun – Vice President; Minister of Education and Research
* Doina Gherman – Vice President; Vice President of the Parliament
* Liliana Nicolaescu-Onofrei – Vice President; MP
* Radu Marian – Vice President; MP
* Olesea Stamate – Vice President; MP
* Veronica Roșca – Vice President; MP
* Lilian Carp – Vice President; MP
* Larisa Voloh – Vice President; MP
* Sergiu Litvinenco – Vice President
* Adrian Băluțel – Vice President; Chief of Staff to the President of Moldova
* Virgiliu Pîslariuc – Vice President; MP
* Ina Coșeru – Vice President; MP
* Ion Groza – Vice President; MP

## Election results

Parliament :
| Election | Leader | Performance | Performance | Performance | Performance | Performance | Rank | Government |
| Election | Leader | Votes | % | ± pp | Seats | +/– | Rank | Government |
| 2019 | Maia Sandu | 380,181 | 26.84%(ACUM) | New | 15 / 101 | New | 3rd | Coalition (ACUM (PAS–PPDA)–PSRM) majority government (2019) |
| 2019 | Maia Sandu | 380,181 | 26.84%(ACUM) | New | 15 / 101 | New | 3rd | Opposition to PSRM–PDM government (2019–2021) |
| 2021 | Igor Grosu | 774,754 | 52.80% | 25.96 | 63 / 101 | 48 | 1st | Supermajority government Gavrilița Cabinet (2021–2023) Recean Cabinet (2023–present) |
President of Moldova :
| Election | Candidate | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Result |
| Election | Candidate | Votes | % | Votes | % | Result |
| 2016 | Maia Sandu | 549,152 | 38.71% | 766,593 | 47.89% | Lost N |
| 2020 | Maia Sandu | 487,635 | 36.16% | 943,006 | 57.72% | Elected Y |
| 2024 | Supported Maia Sandu | 656,852 | 42.49% | 930,139 | 55.35% | Elected Y |

### Chișinău mayoral elections

| Election | Leader | Candidate | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Result |
| Election | Leader | Candidate | Votes | % | Votes | % | Result |
| 2018 | Maia Sandu | Andrei Năstase (ACUM) | 71,803 | 32.12 | 129,432 | 52.57 | Elected Y |
| 2019 | Maia Sandu | Andrei Năstase (ACUM) | 70,056 | 31.08 | 112,514 | 47.61 | Lost N |
| 2023 | Igor Grosu | Lilian Carp | 74,074 | 28.23 | — | — | Lost N |

### Chișinău Municipal Council elections

| Election | Leader | Votes | Votes | Seats | Position |
| Election | Leader | Votes | % | No. | Position |
| 2019 | Maia Sandu | 74,255 | 33.30 | 19 / 51(ACUM) | 2nd |
| 2023 | Igor Grosu | 84,615 | 32.88 | 20 / 51 | 2nd |
* ↑ NOW Platform DA and PAS won 26 seats of which 15 went to the PAS and 11 to the PPDA.
* ↑ The President of Moldova traditionally resigns from party membership after taking office. Although Sandu was officially an independent candidate, her campaign was endorsed, supported, and funded by the Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS).

### Local elections
#### Mayors

| Election year | Mayors | % of overall mayor mandates | No. of overall mandates won | +/– |
| 2023 | 291 | 32.51 | 291 / 898 | |