TIRASPOL, December 23 /TASS/. The Supreme Council (parliament) of Transdniestria, an unrecognized republic, which is officially part of Moldova, on Wednesday approved Pavel Prokudin as the republic’s new prime minister at its first plenary session held since the November 29 parliamentary elections.

The deputies voted unanimously for Prokudin whose candidacy had been proposed by Transdniestria’s President Yevgeny Shevchuk a day earlier, on Tuesday.

Prokudin told the lawmakers he would focus on decreasing Moldova’s enormous budget deficit, which was the root cause for delaying salaries and pensions.

"A package of anti-crisis documents is to be adopted in January," Prokudin said.

Prokudin is 49 years old. He is currently combining the jobs of a souvenir factory director and director of the Bendery Fortress military memorial complex. He is going to succeed Tatiana Turanskaya, who was elected to parliament in the November 29 parliamentary elections, as a new prime minister.

According to the constitution of Transdniestria, the head of state appoints the prime minister with parliament’s consent. The deputies have the right to reject the proposed candidate but no more than two times. After the third attempt, the president has the right to appoint his candidate and dissolve parliament.

Former head of the Interior Ministry of Moldova’s unrecognized Republic of Transdniestria Vadim Krasnoselsky on Wednesday became the chairman of the new-elected Parliament.

"The halt of parliament’s work, as it occurred this autumn, must not repeat," Krasnoselsky said. "As for now, there are lots of topical economic and social problems needed to be resolved immediately."

Commenting on foreign policy, Krasnoselsky said "we will follow the political course of rapprochement with Russia and independence from Moldova," which was announced by the Transdniestria residents at the referendum in 2006.

"National security, economic and freedom of movement challenges are on the agenda," Transdniestria President Yevgeny Shevchuk told the first meeting of the Parliament. "The key priorities are social and economic stability, peace and security."