Mass protests in Transdniestria against outcome of parliamentary polls
International and local observers have said the elections were in compliance with the democratic norms
CHISINAU, December 2. /TASS/. Supporters of president of the unrecognized Transdniestria republic who lost Sunday’s parliamentary elections have held a protest outside the Central Election Commission building calling to check whether the polls are valid.
International and local observers have said the elections were in compliance with the democratic norms.
Several hundred people blocked access to the building in Chisinau where the top election authority was due to hold a meeting and demanded to show the lists of the voters.
The organizers told reporters the protests had been initiated by the Communist Party of Transdniestria. The activists had called via social networks for launching indefinite protests.
Prosecutors and the security service have warned local citizens against participating in illegal rallies, saying this could result in "serious and unpredictable consequences."
The election campaign has exposed differences between President Yevgeny Shevchuk and the government on the one hand, and the Renewal party. Its candidates received at least 34 out of 43 seats in the parliament, allowing the rivals of Shevchuk to control the parliament and amend the constitution.
Transdniestria, a largely Russian-speaking region, broke away from Moldova following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Its relations with Moldova’s central government in Chisinau have been highly mixed and extremely tense at times ever since then. In 1992 and 1993, the tensions erupted into a bloody armed conflict that claimed the lives of hundreds of people on both sides.