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Moldova’s Socialist Party launches protests demanding snap parliamentary election

The party demands resignation of the current authorities and return to direct presidential election, as well as cancellation of parliamentary immunity

CHISINAU, September 8. /TASS/. Moldovan’s Socialist Party has announced civilian mobilization and called on people to join protests demanding snap parliamentary election, the party’s leader Igor Dodon said on Tuesday.

"We initiate mass protests demanding to hold an extraordinary parliamentary session that will consider issues of self-dissolution of the legislative assembly and appointing date for snap election," Dodon said. The Socialist Party supports the Eurasian vector of integration and rapprochement with Russia, and it holds the largest faction in the Moldovan parliament, controlling around a quarter of all mandates.

The party demands resignation of the current authorities and return to direct presidential election, as well as cancellation of parliamentary immunity.

"Mass support of anti-government protests by the population means that the policy of European integration carried out by the current authorities has failed. Those who were brought to power by the West during riots of 7 April 2009, when the parliament building and presidential residence were burned down in Chisinau, now risk to be overthrown themselves in the protests. People are outraged by growing prices, impoverishment, unemployment, corruption in the government," Dodon told TASS. He noted that Socialists have their own vision of the country’s future. "We are against joining NATO, uniting with Romania and entering EU - which are advocated by protesters’ leaders," he said.

Mass protests started in Moldova’s capital Chisinau on Sunday. Among participants were representatives of the Civil Platform "Dignity and Truth" (DA) and supporters of the "Red Block" party. According to the country’s interior ministry, around 40,000 people took part in the meeting held by DA representatives near the government building. Around two hundreds of "Red Block" supporters tried to break into the prosecutor’s office, but their attempts were thwarted, and three people were detained. Party leaders dissociated themselves from these actions, saying they intend to reach their goals "peacefully and in a civilized way."

On September 7, RT Ruptly producer Alexey Amelyushkin was deported from Moldova, and his equipment was seized. On the same day, a camera crew from Russia’s LifeNews TV channel was detained at the Chisinau airport.