A large number of people gathered together in the Great National Assembly Square of Chisinau on January 24 to demand early elections and the dismissal of the Filip Government. Within the protest, organized by the political project Party “Civic Platform Dignity and Truth”, the Party of Socialists and the Political Party “Our Party”, the demonstrators suggested creating a National Salivation Council, IPN reports.
“We will propose that civil society, the extraparliamentary parties and the people should set up a National Salvation Council and impose an ultimatum on the government – to leave during a definite period of time. The development partners must understand that the protests are not against a particular course, but against an illegal government. The people want one thing – early legislative elections,” said one of the leaders of the political project Party “Civic Platform Dignity and Truth” Vasile Nastase.
The protesters stated and chanted that the main goal of the demonstration is to free the state from captivity. “On this day of Sunday, under the aegis of civil society, the parties from the opposition and the extraparliamentary parties, we came together with one goal - to free the country from captivity. The oligarchs didn’t manage to reunite. The victory belongs to the people,” said Valentin Dolganiuc, a member of the political project.
The demonstrators called on the development partners not to support the current government of Moldova and to listen to the people’s wishes. “Our problem, of the Moldovans, during all these years was that we were divided into pro-Russians and pro-Romanians and the fact that we united means that we want to remove this oligarchic system. We, all together, must obtain early elections,” said the Socialists’ leader Igor Dodon, who made a call to the ambassadors working in Moldova. “Dear ambassadors, stop financing the ruling oligarchs as they do not represent the people. They only steal and the ordinary people get nothing,” he stated.
“We were accused of staging a coup attempt. Today we came with flowers as Moldova is the dearest thing for the people. Now our motherland is in danger because of this criminal regime. This is a mafia that should be destroyed as it is trying to scare the people so that they do not come to protests. We joined together the people of Moldova and are obliged to return the country to the people,” said the leader of the “Our Party” Renato Usatyi.
During the event, the protesters staged a march to the National Anticorruption Center and then walked to the Balcani St at the exit from Chisinau, where they blocked traffic for a period.
The protesters also voted a resolution by which they demand that the administration of a number of state institutions should be dismissed and that legal preconditions be created for the head of state to be elected by the people. It is also demanded that the persecution of those who oppose the oligarchic system by supporting the independent press, civil society or the peaceful protests should be stopped and that the Party “Platform Dignity and Truth” should be registered as a matter of urgency. The government was given time until January 28, 5pm, to meet the people’s demands or the protesters will act harshly.
According to the General Police Inspectorate, there were about 16,000 people in the Great National Assembly Square of Chisinau and 20,000 in marching columns.
The large-scale protests against the Cabinet headed by Pavel Filip started on January 20, when Parliament voted the new composition of the Government. On the day of the vote, the people entered the Parliament Building through a lateral door. More than 20 police officers and ordinary people sustained injuries in the altercations.
