The main objective of the organizers of the September 17 protest was to gain support for achieving a good result in the upcoming parliamentary elections. The issue was developed in the talk show “Emphasis on today” on TVR Moldova channel, IPN reports.
Analyst Corneliu Ciurea considers this protest formed part of a series of protests that are aimed at familiarizing the people with the governance problems. “The protests no longer have the removal of power as the key goal as there were much more aggressive protests that fueled the hope that early elections are possible,” he stated.
Political analyst Victor Ciobanu said the TV channels that form part of the holding owned by Vladimir Plahotniuc broadcast news that misinformed about last Sunday’s protest. The assertions that a minibus entered the crowed are false as this vehicle carried the audio equipment, including the microphone, that was used by protesters. Some of the TV channels even used the term “terrorists” and drew a parallel with the acts of terrorism witnessed in Europe.
Liberal-Democratic MP Iurie Tap said the government is obliged to take measures to ensure the protests are peaceful. “I don’t think the press should blame the people as these have the right to put forward demands and to accuse the power,” he stated, noting that the use of teargas during the September 17 protest representsedan abuse of power by the authorities and he will raise this issue in Parliament.
On September 17, the Great National Assembly Council mounted a protest where the participants demanded to abrogate the law on the change in the electoral system and restore the proportional representation system, to de-monopolize the media market, to publish the second report compiled by Kroll, hold accountable those to blame for the large-scale theft and restore the embezzled funds, and to impose individual penalties as to the entry into the EU on Vlad Plahotniuc and Igor Dodon as the main persons to blame for the democratic deviations in Moldova. The protest was staged in front of the Parliament Building and then of the building of the National Public Broadcaster “Teleradio-Moldova”.
