CHISINAU, October 30. /TASS/. Several opposition leaders have been detained during a protest action in Chisinau, a TASS correspondent reported on Sunday.
Among those detained are Dinu Turcanu, head of the Orhei district, his deputy Viktor Pertu, Orhei Mayor Pavel Verejanu, and honorary leader of the Sor opposition party Valery Klimenko.
According to the police, around 40 people have been detained on suspicion of trying to destabilize the situation in Chisinau.
Earlier in the day, police blocked the Stefan the Great Boulevard, along which thousands of protesters were marching to the city center. The demonstrators tried to break through the police cordon, tossing eggs at policemen.
Earlier, the Moldovan government’s emergencies commission, which was set up amid the energy crisis, imposed restrictions on protest actions and mass gatherings, allowing them only for not more than four hours on weekends. Following this decision, the police brought down a tent camp pitched by the opposition near the parliament and presidential administration buildings.
Protests have been held in Moldova since June demanding the resignation of the current leadership. People are protesting against the unprecedented growth of prices for gas and other energy resources and food, and against deteriorating living conditions. The current authorities are also criticized for their reluctance to negotiate gas prices with Russia and for political pressure on the opposition.