Protesters come together in Great National Assembly Square

(Update to news story titled No protesters in Great National Assembly Square by 10.00) Several hundred protesters gathered in the Great National Assembly Square in Chisinau by 12.30. They are protesting peacefully. A young woman gives flowers to passersby. Several protesters carry a placard with the words ‘Bucharest is with You, Down with the Communists’ and wave a tricolor. The atmosphere is clam. There were no protesters in the Great National Assembly Square in the morning at 10.00. Messages had been sent through the Internet the previous days, saying that the protests against the results of the parliamentary elections will be resumed and that protesters from the country’s districts will also attend, Info-Prim Neo reports. Fewer police officers are now guarding the buildings of the Government, Parliament and the Presidential Office than the previous days. Yesterday, the Mayor General of Chisinau Dorin Chirtoaca asked the municipal police to ensure public order during the protests scheduled for today. Prime Minister Zinaida Greaceanai called on the parents not to let their children take part in the protests. She said that if necessary, the police will use all the means needed to defend Moldova’s constitutionality, including guns. The website of the Russian publication Kommersant says that an Il-76 plane from Moscow with special mans for stopping the riots in Moldova’s capital landed in Chisinau on Wednesday morning. According to the publication, boxes with tear gas grenades “Cheriomuha” and other munitions had been unloaded from the plane during an hour. The protests against the election outcome started on Monday, degenerating into riots. The buildings of the Presidential Office and the Parliament were devastated. About 200 young persons were arrested afterward. The authorities said the damage caused is estimated at 300 million lei, not including the destroyed furniture and equipment. The ruling party accused the Opposition and Romania of staging the protests. The Romanian authorities categorically deny the accusations, while the Opposition says that it was a scenario devised by the Communist Party with the aim of distracting attention from vote rigging. According to the Central Election Commission, the Communist Party won the April 5 legislative elections with 49.48% of the vote and will hold 60 seats of MP. The Liberal Party gained 13.14% of the ballot (15 seats), the Liberal Democratic Party - 12.43% (15 seats) and the Moldova Noastra Alliance – 9.77% (11 seats).