CHISINAU, January 12. /TASS/. Moldova’s government supporters and the opposition took to the streets on Tuesday to protest over the candidate for the country’s prime minister, the Publika TV channel has reported.
Besides the capital Chisinau, where the opposition staged a rally on Tuesday, the demonstrations were also held in the cities of Hincesti, Nisporeni, Rezina and Criuleni.
Dozens of protesters carried posters reading "We want stability," "We want a prime minister," "Moldova needs no early elections."
"To solve the crisis that the country has faced now we demand that the president should name the candidate for the prime minister as soon as possible who can form the cabinet of ministers. Today Moldova needs a strong government that will lead it the European way," said Ion Artene, the head of Nisporeni, in central Moldova.
On Monday, the leader of the Democratic Party, Marian Lupu, announced that a new parliamentary majority has been formed consisting of 56 lawmakers in the 101-member parliament. It is due to propose a candidate for prime minister to the president on Wednesday. Observers say President Nicolae Timofti does not back this proposal.
The president is also under pressure of demonstrators of a tent city in downtown Chisinau organized by the Civic Platform DA (Dignity and Justice). Several hundred supporters of the movement threatened on Tuesday to renew mass protests if the president nominates a candidate from the Democratic Party as a new prime minister.
"We know that the party plans to promote to this post Vladimir Pakhotnyuk or his henchman through blackmail and bribery," one of the platform’s leaders, Valentin Dolganyuk, told protesters at a rally outside the presidential residence.
During the rally, the demonstrators said they would support only an unbiased prime minister and continue seeking early parliamentary elections and also nationwide presidential polls.
"Today’s authorities in Moldova have been caught stealing and should go, and only early parliamentary elections can renew the political class," one of the leaders of an informal organization, Andrei Nastase said.
Most state bodies in Moldova have been seized by oligarchs, he said. "They interpret the constitution in their own way. They have forced the president to nominate as prime minister a candidate of the parliamentary majority governed by democrats.".