Thousands from Russia-friendly party join anti-government protest in Moldova's capital
ABC News
Several thousand people from a Russia-friendly party have protested in front of Moldova’s parliament building to demand the resignation of the pro-Western government
CHISINAU, Moldova -- Several thousand people from a Russia-friendly party protested in front of Moldova's parliament building on Thursday to demand the resignation of the pro-Western government.
The rally by the Revival Party against the governing Party of Action and Solidarity called for early elections and for President Maia Sandu to step down. Moldova is to hold presidential elections later this year and parliamentary elections in 2025.
The Revival Party currently holds four seats in Moldova’s 101-seat legislature in the country of about 2.5 million people.
The demonstration is the latest in a series of anti-government protests held over the past 18 months, mostly by the Moscow-friendly Shor Party, which was declared unconstitutional last June by the Constitutional Court. Authorities accused the Shor Party — which held six seats in Parliament — of trying to destabilize the country.
Some senior members of the outlawed Shor Party took part in Thursday’s protest. Moldovan oligarch Ilan Shor, the head of the Shor Party who resides in exile in Israel and was sentenced in absentia last year to 15 years in jail on fraud charges, also shared a video of the protest on his Facebook page.
