CHISINAU, October 2 – Novosti. In Chisinau, a mass protest of representatives of the opposition Shor party and their supporters took place, the protesters set up an additional tent camp, Novosti correspondent reports.
The participants of the demonstration gathered in front of the parliament building, where an open-ended protest action has been taking place since September 18.
According to one of the organizers, a member of the Shor party, Dinu Turcanu, about 40,000 people took part in the rally.
Protesters with Moldovan flags in their hands chanted: “Down with Maia Sandu!”, “Early elections”, “Resignation”, “No to the political persecution of the opposition.” Along with the townspeople, deputies from the Shor party took part in the rally.
In addition, as party leader Ilan Shor said, the protesters intend to create another tent city on the sidewalk in front of the building of the Presidential Administration of Moldova.
“We are deploying an additional tent city so that every morning it reminds her of our demands. Down with Maia Sandu,” he said, adding that soon these camps will expand to the whole of Chisinau.
Shor also said that the police blocked buses with residents of Moldova who wanted to get from the northern regions to the capital in order to take part in the anti-government action.
Protests by supporters of the opposition Shor party have been going on for the second week. The indignation of the protesters is caused by an unprecedented rise in prices for gas, food and a drop in living standards. They accuse the authorities of failing to cope with the crisis, point to a record inflation over the past 20 years, which in mid-summer amounted to 33.5 percent on an annualized basis. The country’s leadership is also criticized for its unwillingness to negotiate better gas prices with Russia and for political pressure on opposition representatives. Last week, in the square in front of the parliament, protesters formed a tent “City of Changes”.
Numerous polls show that about 60 percent of the population of Moldova doubt the ability of the ruling Action and Solidarity party to stay in power for another three years – until the next parliamentary elections. In addition, about 70 percent of residents are disappointed with the policy of the authorities, almost 65 percent support the idea of changing the government.
