Representatives of the Bloc ACUM on May 23 mounted a protest against the rise in fuel prices and in the prices of bare essentials in front of the Government Building. The protesters demanded that the authorities should fight cartel agreements in the field and should support the local potato producers. While members and sympathizers of ACUM were chanting in front of the Government Building, a counterdemonstration was mounted nearby and the participants in this demanded that the politicians should start work. Dozens of police officers formed cordons between the two camps of protesters, IPN reports.
“Friends, this is how life is like in a mafia-controlled state where a criminal and political procurer brought all the state institutions under control. They will definitely find some persons in need who will be taken out to stage counterdemonstrations. This is the state of Plahotniuc. We all need to combine forces. We will do our best for as many people as possible to differentiate between truth and lie, between bandits and those who fight banditry,” said the leader of the Party “Dignity and Truth Platform” Andrei Năstase.
“We demand that those who stay in the Government Building, who shouldn’t actually stay here because they weren’t voted by the people, but have the duty to further promote correct and transparent policies, and those from all the state institutions – the Competition Council, the National Agency for Energy Regulation and others – to make sure that the price changing processes are in accordance with the law and are transparent. We also demand that the business entities should be sincere. If the Democratic Party banned them from changing prices, they should tell this honestly,” stated the leader of the Party “Action and Solidarity” Maia Sandu.
While the representatives of ACUM were protesting, dozens of counterdemonstrators gathered nearby. These were mainly young people, even minors, and they covered their faces before journalists’ cameras. Most of them refused to talk to reporters and to present themselves.
One of the counterdemonstrators, Marin Ursachi, said that two years ago he returned to Moldova, hoping for changes, but nothing is done here. He learned about the protest from social networking sites and came here to demand to stop disseminating fake news and lies about politicians’ actions. “They cannot come to term and start work. Regardless of the political color, they should reach an agreement and go on,” stated Marin Ursachi.
“Politics is dirty and I do not want to speak about dirty things,” said one of the participants in the counterdemonstration, when he was asked why he was there. He refused to present himself. Another counterdemonstrator said he saw the announcement of Maia Sandu and Andrei Năstase and decided to come and ask these politicians what is going on in Moldova. According to him, the two politicians became MPs, but did nothing during three months after being elected.
A week ago, the gas stations posted higher fuel prices. The price of gasoline was raised by 1.10 lei, while of diesel fuel by 0.85 lei. The Competition Council opened an inquiry following the recent simultaneous rise in fuel prices at a number of oil companies. It noted the simultaneous move generates suspicions that the oil sellers didn’t act independently and thus decided to probe the allegations of a cartel agreement.
