After protesting on Thursday at the Constitutional Court, members and sympathizers of the Party of Socialists came on Friday in front of the building of the National Agency for Energy Regulation, which is considering increasing the natural gas charges. The protesters accuse the government of incompetence and seek its resignation, IPN reports.
The leader of the PSRM Igor Dodon said that this protest is apolitical because this winter, regardless of the political color, all citizens will pay the same natural gas charge. Respectively, everyone will suffer because of the incompetence of this government and, for this reason, the Socialists initiated a no-confidence motion. The NAER is a politically subordinated institution and his colleagues in Parliament have often asked for its liquidation.
MP of the Bloc of Communists and Socialists Diana Caraman said that during the election campaign, the authorities assured that there would be no problems in the energy sector and the charges would not increase. However, now there is an increase in prices that will put the people in difficulty. The government lies when it says that it will grant higher compensation because there is no money planned in this regard.
Another BCS MP Inga Sibova said that Maia Sandu was in such a hurry to be reelected as President because she understood that winter is coming and these charge increases will follow. If there had been such a situation during the elections, she would not have accumulated even 5% of the vote. The number of recipients of compensation will be small and the population will not even feel this help.
Socialist MP Petru Burduja also leveled criticism at the government, accusing it of causing the energy crisis by purchasing natural gas from the "speculative market" at higher prices. Also, according to him, this institution covers up and makes decisions to increase charges. The people feel uncertain because the authorities do not even tell them what will happen next and whether the price of gas will increase further.
The NAER is examining a draft decision to increase the gas charge to 15.5 lei (16.74 lei with VAT) per cubic meter of gas. The charge proposed by the Agency is lower than what Moldovagaz requested – 16.17 lei (17.46 lei with VAT). Currently, consumers in Moldova pay 13.12 lei per cubic meter of gas. The rate is 12.15 lei, plus 8% VAT.
