April 7, 2009: timeline of events

On Monday morning, April 6, the Central Electoral Commission announces the preliminary results of the parliamentary elections that took place on April 5. After 96.51% of the results were processed, the Party of Communists had 49.94% of votes (60 MP mandates), the Liberal Party 12.82% (16 MPs), the Liberal-Democratic Party 12.27% (14 MPs) and “Moldova Noastra” Alliance 9.83% (11 MPs). The first public statement about peaceful protests is made by Liberal-Democrat leader Vlad Filat. Early on April 6, he told the press he denounced the results of elections. “Based on evidence gathered by our party and after consulting the Liberal Party and “Moldova Noastra” Alliance, we’ll choose the date and hour of a massive protest action”, said Filat. In the evening of April 6, about 15,000 people (according to organizers) protested in the Great National Assembly Square against the results of elections. “On April 6, at 6 PM, a group of people, or students to be more precise, tried to destabilize the situation and violate public order in Chisinau”, declared Petru Corduneanu, then head of public order police division of the Ministry of the Interior (MAI). The youth went on with calls to protests. The social networks were buzzing with messages like “The youth declared April 7- national mourning day in Moldova. If you didn’t vote for PCRM, take a candle and come on the street at 10 AM, at Stefan cel Mare’s statue”. In the morning of April 7, Tuesday, at 9.30 AM, representatives of previous evening’s protesters organize a press conference and demand the recounting of votes by a civil society commission. They claim to have managed to gather 15,000 people only through Internet. “The television are playing blind, the radios as well”, said Ghenadie Brega, member of the Hyde Park association. After the press conference, the organizers go to the Great National Assembly Square, where according to reports the protesters clash the police. The head of public company Teleradio-Moldova Valentin Todercan claims at a press conference on April 7 that Moldova 1 TV didn’t broadcast anything about the protest on Monday because was unaware of it. 10.30 AM. About 5000 protesters in the Great National Assembly Square demand repeated elections. The traffic in the center of city is blocked. Political figures are noticed among the protesters: Iurie Leanca, Mihai Godea, Oazu Nantoi, Kiril Lucinschi and others. In just half an hour, the number of protesters rises to 8000. Part of them move to the stairs of the Presidency building, but there are few police agents to be seen. Until 12 AM the protests are still peaceful. The policemen arrive in a shield formation, which is attacked by some of the crowd. In the afternoon, protesters start throwing stones at the Parliament and Presidency buildings. A fire truck tries to scatter them with water cannon, but is forced to withdraw because of attacks with stones and eggs. “Protest organizers cannot be called patriots if they engaged in vandalism and profanation of state symbols and institutions”, declared the President Vladimir Voronin, leader of the Party of Communists. “We’ll identify everyone who planned this action, considering that there were rumors about not recognizing the election results a month before the ballot on April 5”, said Voronin after an emergency meeting of the commission for exceptional situations, which took place at the Government. By 1 AM, there were 30,000 people gathered in the Great National Assembly Square, outside the Parliament and Presidency buildings. The clashes between policemen and protesters intensify. The latter throw stones. Tens of young people and police agents are hurt. After half an hour, some of the demonstrators break into the Parliament and the Presidency and start bringing out various objects from there. The furniture in the buildings is set on fire. While in Chisinau the Parliament and Presidency edifices are being assaulted, the public television broadcasts a movie and the public radio is airing music. Reports spread that Moldovan students in Romania embark to join the protests in Chisinau. Demonstrations of solidarity are organized in several Romanian cities. After clashes between the police and the crowd, several people were severely injured, especially among the former. The Emergency Hospital is full of bleeding protesters and SCUT police agents. The rumor that a police worker died remained unconfirmed. The clashes continue. The flags of Romania and the EU are flied on the Parliament building. The three leaders of opposition parties urge the crowd outside the Government to remain peaceful and go to bring those from the Parliament and the Presidency back in the Great National Assembly Square. Around 5 PM, representatives of parliamentary parties meet in the Government building to negotiate. The opposition leaders declare they will demand the Central Electoral Commission to annul the election results. After the dialogue, Speaker Marian Lupu, then still a member of PCRM, “partially” admitted that the violent demonstrations weren’t organized by the opposition. According to him, the actions of protesters were against the state, as the “flying of a foreign flag threatens the sovereignty of the Republic of Moldova”. As evening nears, black smoke comes from the rooftop of the Parliament. Flames can be seen through the windows. There is a tribune on the stairs in front of the Presidency and protesters are taking pictures. It’s seems everything is in chaos. Anyone who wants can enter and exit the Parliament and the Presidency. The buildings are covered with inscriptions like “Basarabia Romanian Land”, “Down with the Communists” and obscene words. Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin issued a message to the people via the public television Moldova 1. He labeled the protests as a coup d’état attempt and blamed it on the leaders of the Liberal Party, the Liberal-Democratic Party and “Moldova Noastra” Alliance. According to him, “the organizers of this putsch have made a live shield of students and pupils, whom they called in the Square”. “Their goals are obvious: dismantling the Moldovan state, abolishing democracy”, said the Communist leader. In the night to April 8, about 200 people, some which were underage, were arrested in the center city. According to the Ministry of the Interior, many drunken or drugged protesters attacked shops at the crossing of Al. Puskin Street and Stefan cel Mare Avenue. The police had to intervene and used blind bullets, announced the MAI press service. Later, it was found out that tens of young people had been beaten in the Square and in police stations. Valeriu Boboc died as a result of blows he took in the Square. The press spoke about other young men who died, but the investigation failed to find a connection with the events on April 7. On April 8, early in the morning, the Presidency and Government were surrounded by police workers with shields, although there were no protesters. At 9 AM, two buses with carabineers arrived at the Parliament to replace those who kept guard during the night. The same happened at the Government. Public order maintaining forces were waiting behind the Parliament. The entrance was guarded by policemen dressed as civilians. Cleaning services workers came to do their job. The same day, at a Government meeting attended by President Voronin, it was decided that Romanian citizens could travel in Moldova only with a visa. It was stated that the visa regime was a consequence of the recent events that threatened the constitutional order in Moldova. The government accused Romanian Ambassador Filip Teodorescu and the Embassy’s minister-councilor Ioan Gaborean of involvement in the internal affairs of Moldova, declaring them personae non gratae and expelling them from the country. Three years later, authorities haven’t yet answered who was responsible for the clashed on April 7, the vandalism that took place and the ill-treatment of youth in police stations.