CHISINAU, August 15. /TASS/. The leader of Moldova’s opposition bloc Victory, Ilan Sor, has called on the police to disobey the government’s orders to crack down on opposition protests and side with the people.

"Dear Moldovan officers! I call on you to come over to the side of the Moldovan people! You were ordered to throttle popular protests. But you pledged an oath to protect the people, not your superiors. I promise you: when we oust these odious yellow authorities, you will have a decent life. No one will force you to act against law and morality. You will be proud of your job and our country will be proud of you!" he wrote on his Telegram channel.

Earlier, he called on people to take part in grass-roots protests in downtown Chisinau on August 16, noting that whereas Moldova’s population exceeds two million, it has only 10,000 police officers.

Now, the Victory bloc is holding an open-ended protest rally in front of the detention facility where Gagauz autonomy’s head Evghenia Gutsul is being held after being charged with illegal financing of the opposition party Sor. The party was outlawed by the Moldovan government and dissolved in 2023. Protests in front of the detention facility involve Moldovan lawmakers who accuse the ruling Party of Action and Solidarity of persecuting the opposition.

Earlier, Moldova’s Central Electoral Commission denied registration to the Victory bloc ahead of the September 28 parliamentary elections. The bloc’s constituent parties cannot be registered independently either.

Meanwhile, according to public opinion polls, the ruling party has little chance to win. So, the future government is unlikely to be single-party. The Patriotic Bloc consisting of the Party of Socialists, the Party of Communists, the Heart of Moldova and the Future of Moldova parties, as well as the pro-European Alternative bloc, are likely to be the ruling party’s opponents in parliament.