Wide-scale Protests in Chisinau
Some 30,000 people took to the streets in Chisinau on Sunday, calling for the resignation of the government, which they accuse of lack of action in cracking down on corruption.
Valentin Țigău, 04.05.2015, 13:38
A glaring example of corruption is the disappearance of significant funds from three banks: The Savings Bank, the Social Bank and Unibank. The sums of money involved in this case that has already been dubbed the plunder of the century, are said to range between one and two billion US dollars and account for over 15% of Moldova’s GDP.
The protest movement took place in the Grand National Assembly Square, which, since 1989, has been the stage of the significant events in the recent history of this former Soviet Republic.
According to the correspondent of Radio Romania, the protesters have also blamed the authorities for Moldova’s side-slipping from its path towards the European Union and have been critical of the political class which failed to find solutions to the real problems of the Republic of Moldova, considered to be one of Europe’s poorest states.
The initiator of Sunday’s protest is the “Dignity and Truth” Civic Platform, set up in February 2015, with the declared aim of putting pressure on the leadership of the Republic of Moldova, which is said to have stuck into corruption. “If the leaders of main structures do not step down and real reforms are not implemented, society will never know who is responsible for the theft of money from banks”-the co-president of the Civic Platform, Angela Arama, told journalists.
Similar protests have taken place in Chisinau as of March, but Sunday’s rally has been the widest-scale protest so far. “If the rulers do not step down, we will place tents around Parliament and the Prosecutor’s Office next time we organise a rally”- an activist of the movement, writer and TV presenter Constantin Cheianu has said.
The scandal around the disappearance of money from the three aforementioned banks serves the Communist opposition in Parliament, which is interested in discrediting the pro-European parties in the ruling alliance and in turning the idea of the country’s integration into the European structures into a failure.
The President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, drew attention in Chisinau last week that solving the crisis which is rocking Moldova’s banking system, and stepping up the reform of the judiciary and the fight against corruption are instrumental in the effort to comply with the commitments made under Moldova’s Association Agreement with the European Union. An analysis of the progress made so far is to be presented at the forth-coming Eastern Partnership Summit of the European Union, which is due in Riga, between May 21st –22nd.
