CHISINAU, September 30. /TASS/. Dozens of people have been taken into custody for various violations during an opposition rally in the center of Moldova’s capital, Chisinau, the Moldovan police announced on Tuesday.
"In the context of the protest rally organized yesterday in front of the parliament building, 31 people were brought to police stations, most of the detainees are from the Transnistrian region," the police stated on its Telegram channel.
According to the law enforcers, protocols were drawn up against 24 people for violations such as hooliganism, failure to fulfill duties for the maintenance, upbringing and education of children, and breach of the rules for organizing and holding public gatherings.
According to a TASS correspondent who attended the event, the rally turned into a short statement of position on the election results and lasted about half an hour. Immediately after the arrival of the leaders of the Patriotic Bloc, well-known provocateurs in Chisinau, with the tacit approval of police officers, began shouting insults, nearly sparking clashes with opposition supporters. The rally, which drew several hundred people, was held under strict police monitoring, which cordoned off several blocks and seized some of the megaphones from the organizers.
During this rally, the leaders of the Patriotic Bloc declared that they did not recognize the election results, as well as their plans to challenge them. Parliamentary elections were held in Moldova on September 28. According to preliminary data from the Moldovan Central Election Commission, the ruling Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) keeps control of parliament, securing 55 seats in the 101-seat legislature. The Patriotic Bloc holds 26 seats, the pro-European bloc Alternative has eight, and Our Party and Democracy at Home have six each.
The Patriotic Bloc includes the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova, led by former President Igor Dodon, the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova, led by the country’s former leader Vladimir Voronin, and the Future of Moldova Party of former Prime Minister Vasily Tarlev. The Alternative Bloc consists of the National Alternative Movement of Chisinau Mayor Ion Ceban, the Moldovan Development and Unification Party led by former Prime Minister Ion Chicu, and the Civic Congress party of Mark Tkachuk.