A massive crowd of demonstrators marched through the center of Chisinau, demanding the resignation of President Maia Sandu
Protesters gather in Chisinau, Moldova, on October 9, 2022. © Sputnik / Rodion Proka
Thousands of people took to the streets of Moldova’s capital, Chisinau on Sunday to protest the high cost of living and the policies of the government, as well as President Maia Sandu. The protests were organized by the opposition Shor Party.
A massive crowd of people marched through the city center, demanding the resignation of Sandu and the cabinet and calling for early presidential and parliamentary elections.
The protesters criticized the government’s austerity policies, saying the cabinet only tries to save money without doing anything to improve people’s lives.
Anti-government protests continued in Chisinau❗️About 60,000 people dissatisfied with the rise in prices and the work of the pro-European government of Moldova are participating in the opposition protest in the center of Chisinau. pic.twitter.com/paZyILSWMr
— Sprinter (@Sprinter99880) October 9, 2022
The opposition demands that the government provide financial assistance to citizens to ease the burden of rising energy and gas prices, which have increased almost seven times since last year, according to the media.
📍🇲🇩🚨 —Approximately 60 thousand people gathered in Chisinau today to protest the Moldovan administration —Shor party pic.twitter.com/cKgeWpo2vn
— Intel Mule (@Intel_Mule) October 9, 2022
Up to 60,000 people took part in the protest, according to Dinu Turcanu, one of the organizers, who is also a member of the Shor Party and head of Moldova’s Orhei region. Between 6,000 and 9,000 people from various regions could not attend because police blocked their buses on the roads leading into Chisinau, Turcanu claimed.
Moldova: Protests against the government in Moldova."Down with Maia Sandu" – columns of protesters gathered in the center of Chisinau. People are outraged that the government is not trying to improve people's lives, but to save money….09-10-2022 pic.twitter.com/owFriO0AEK
— Rowan Van Dijk (@Lastkombo) October 9, 2022
Police put the total number of demonstrators at 5,000 to 6,000.
The Moldovan authorities accused the opposition of “financing” the protests by paying people to take part. The leader of the Shor Party, Ilan Shor, was accused of stealing $1 billion from the nation’s banking system.
Under 60,000 people took to the anti-government protest near the presidential palace in the center of Chisinau. People continue to demand the resignation of the PAS government and Maia Sandu, as well as early presidential and parliamentary elections. #UkraineRussiaWar#moldovapic.twitter.com/GYCzwjjomi
— Jayden X (@nojaydenx) October 9, 2022
Shor was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison on this charge in 2017, but appealed the decision and fled to Israel. On Sunday, he held a speech at the rally via video link, in which he demanded Sandu’s resignation and lower energy prices.
Moldova has faced massive protests for weeks. Sunday’s rally was the fourth since September 18. The demonstrators set up a massive tent camp near the parliament building and declared an “indefinite protest.”
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The developments come as Europe struggles to cope with the ongoing energy crunch, partly caused by the EU’s campaign to phase out Russian energy exports. In June, Moldova received EU candidate status.
Gas prices in Europe surged earlier this year after Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine in late February. After the EU and other Western countries imposed sweeping sanctions on Moscow and began cutting off Russian energy supplies, gas prices hit record levels, leading to a rise in overall inflation on the continent.
