Transnistria's opposition demands leadership to resign

The participants of a protest rally held Saturday in the Transnistrian region adopted a resolution demanding the resignation of Igor Smirnov as president of the breakaway republic, the dissolution of the legislature, and early legislative elections, Info-Prim Neo's correspondent in Transnistria reports. The event, attended by some 3,000 people, was organized by the Communists and Social-Democrats. They protested against poverty and low salaries and pensions. Transnistria's Communist leader Oleg Horjan has stated that if no measures to stabilize the situation are taken, the party will call for the resignation of the region's leadership. The protesters have asked Russia's President Dmitri Medvedev and Ukraine's head of state Viktor Yushchenko for support and protection. The Communists and the Social-Democrats have also demanded a reassessment of the outcomes of privatizations, the institution of a monopoly on the manufacturing of basic needs and the initiation of criminal procedures against a host of corrupt public officials.