CHISINAU, Moldova (AP) — Moldova’s pro-Western parliament elected businessman and investor Vasile Tofan as prime minister on Tuesday, entrusting a political newcomer with advancing the former Soviet republic’s bid to join the European Union.Tofan, 44, who is backed by President Maia Sandu and her Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS), was elected by 53 to 21, with 21 abstentions in Moldova’s 101-seat Parliament. A senior partner at the Ukraine-based investment firm Horizon Capital until recently, Tofan gained a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard Business School, and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in public administration from Erasmus University, in the Netherlands. His election comes three weeks after former Alexandru Munteanu stepped down as prime minister after only eight months in a surprise move that automatically triggered the government’s resignation. Munteanu did not give a clear reason for his departure, saying only that he could “no longer exercise my mandate in accordance with my principles and beliefs.”Sandu, who nominated Tofan for prime minister, said at the time that Moldova “must have a united, strong team in the government” to fulfill its ambition of joining the EU. She tasked Tofan with proposing a new cabinet after the previous ministers were forced to resign.