Protests in Moldova (2015—2016)

The main catalyst for discontent was the loss of one billion euros from the three social banks of Moldova, where pensioners' money was also stored ^[8] . Other causes of indignation include the general difficult economic situation, selective justice, and the slow process of the country's European integration ^[9] .

April - September 2015

• On April 5, 2015, in Chisinau , the first rally against corruption in power was held, organized by the Civil Platform “Dignity and Truth”. About 4 thousand people took part in the protest. Protesters demanded an investigation into the riots on April 7, 2009 , an investigation into the missing billion euros from 3 banks in the country (Banca de Economii, Banca Socială and Unibank) and an improvement in living standards.
• On May 3, an anti-government rally was held in Chisinau, in which, according to various estimates, from 10 to 50 thousand people took part. The protesters demanded the resignation of the government and the heads of all law enforcement agencies, as well as holding those responsible for corruption and theft of funds from the country's banking system accountable.
• On June 6, Prime Minister Cyril Gaburic sent a petition to the president and parliament, in which he threatened with his resignation and announced that "the entire financial system of Moldova is under siege, and a number of financial institutions are in danger." In a letter addressed to the president , chairman of the parliament and deputies, Kirill Gaburich demanded that the entire leadership of the General Prosecutor's Office, the National Bank, and the National Commission for the Securities Market be dismissed within a month. On June 12, Cyril Gaburich resigned.
• On July 5, about 30 thousand people, according to the organizers, gathered in the square of the Great National Assembly in Chisinau, demanding the unification of Romania and Moldova . The participants chanted the slogans of unionism and symbolically voted for the union. The action was organized by the platform “Acţiunea 2012 (Action 2012)” and the “Youth of Moldova” movement.
• On June 30, the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova approved Valeriu Strelet to the post of prime minister. His candidacy was supported by 52 deputies from factions of liberal democrats, democrats and liberals.

September 2015 - January 2016

• On September 6, in Chisinau, a mass protest rally called the Great National Assembly took place, in which, according to various estimates, from 50 to 100 thousand people took part. The protesters put forward political demands and said that in the future the protest would be held non-stop. In the evening, on the central square of Chisinau, near the government house, a tent camp “Dignity and Truth” was erected, food and water are brought to the Protestants. Order in the city is maintained by protesters and the police.
• On September 6, supporters of the Red Block party rallied in the square next to the Prosecutor General’s Office, who had previously marched through the central streets of Chisinau to the prosecutor’s building. During the picketing of the Prosecutor's Office, small clashes between protesters and police took place, during which the organizers of the protest were detained: the leader of the Red Block Grigory Petrenko and activists of the Antifa movement Pavel Grigorchuk and Mikhail Amerberg.
• On September 7, the number of tents erected reached 100; a food place was developed in the tent camp.
• On September 13, another protest rally took place.
• On September 27, in the center of Chisinau, a mass march took place in three columns of supporters of the Party of Socialists and Our Party . Protesters demand early parliamentary elections, the resignation of the president and the holding of popular elections of the head of state, a change in the leadership of the security forces, and the return of the stolen billion euros.
• On October 15, the majority of Moldovan MPs voted to remove parliamentary immunity from former Prime Minister Vladimir Filat following a request from Prosecutor General Cornelia Gurin . Then, Vladimir Filat announced the resignation of the head of the Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova (PLDM); and. about. The party’s chairman was acting Prime Minister Valery Strelets . In the parliament building, law enforcement officers detained Filat, after which he was taken to the building of the National Anti-Corruption Center, where he was placed in a pre-trial detention center for 72 hours.
• On October 18, the court decided to arrest Vladimir Filat for 30 days.
• On October 23, the leader of Our Party, Renato Usatii, was detained at the Chisinau airport on suspicion of illegally tapping telephone conversations. The prosecutor general’s office detained him for 72 hours.
• On October 25, the court released Renato Usatii from custody.
• On October 29, the government of Valery Strelets was dismissed by the votes of the opposition Party of Socialists and the Party of Communists , as well as the ruling Democratic Party .

During November 2015 — January 2016, pro-European parties in the Moldovan parliament made attempts to form a new parliamentary majority. Representatives of the Liberal Democratic, Democratic, Liberal Party, as well as independent deputies of the Yuri Leanca group and, from December 21, 14 deputies who left the Communist Party took part in the negotiations. However, the Liberal Democratic and Democratic parties failed to agree which of the two political forces has the right to nominate a representative for the post of prime minister. The PLDM’s position was based on the results of the 2014 parliamentary elections , according to which it was the liberal democrats who gained the most votes from the pro-European parties. At the same time, the Democratic Party defended the idea that the party with the largest number of seats in Parliament had this right.

On December 21, President of the Republic of Moldova Nicolae Timofti nominated Ion Sturza as a candidate for prime minister. In the list of candidates for ministerial positions presented on January 3, 8 candidates were non-partisan, 3 from the Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova, 2 from the Civic Platform “Dignity and Truth”, 1 each from the Liberal, Democratic and European People’s Parties ^[10] .

On January 4, a parliamentary meeting was scheduled to express a vote of confidence in the government of Ion Sturz. The meeting was attended by 47 deputies from the PLDM, PDM, PL and the Leanca group. Due to the lack of a quorum, the Speaker of Parliament announced that the attempt to elect a government is considered failed. ^[11]

January 2016

• On January 13-14, representatives of the Democratic Party twice nominated the first deputy chairman of the PDM, oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc , as a candidate for the prime minister . The president twice rejected his candidacy.
• On January 14, tens of thousands of people gathered in the center of Chisinau to protest against the appointment of oligarch Vlad Plahotniuc as prime minister. The organizers of the protests were the Civil Platform "Dignity and Truth", the Party of Socialists and "Our Party" Renato Usatii.
• On January 15, the President of the Republic of Moldova, Nicolae Timofti, nominated the Secretary General of the Presidency, as a candidate for Prime Minister.
• January 16th :
  • Ion Paduraru withdrew his candidacy in connection with the formation of a parliamentary majority. The President of the Republic of Moldova canceled the decree appointing Padurara as a candidate for prime minister and appointed a representative of the Democratic Party in his place, and. about. Minister of Information Technology and Communications Pavel Filip , supported by 56 deputies (20 deputies of the PDM, 14 deputies of the ex-communists, 13 deputies of the PL, 8 deputies of the PLDM and 1 deputy of the EPM).
  • The civic platform Dignity and Truth, the Party of Socialists and Our Party continued mass protests demanding early parliamentary elections.

January 20

On the initiative of the Civil Platform “Dignity and Truth”, on January 20, the Civil Forum was held, to which opposition parties and public organizations were invited, as well as citizens of the Republic of Moldova, dissatisfied with the socio-economic and political situation in the country. At the forum, all political parties, from pro-European right-liberal to pro-Russian left parties, expressed their desire, despite their political affiliation, to protest together against the parliamentary majority and seek early parliamentary elections ^[12] .

Despite the fact that initially the government of Pavel Filip was to appear before the Parliament on January 21 or 22, the convened permanent bureau of the Parliament, at the suggestion of the parliamentary majority, postponed the meeting until January 20, 16:00. A list of ministerial candidates has been published, most of which have already held ministerial and deputy ministerial positions in previous governments. Opposition parties, which at that time held the Civil Forum, announced the general mobilization of their supporters ^{[12] [13]} .

At 16:00, a parliament meeting began, in front of the building of which thousands of protesters gathered. In parliament, in addition to representatives of the parliamentary majority, deputies from the opposition Party of Socialists and the European People's Party were present. The PLDM and PCRM factions announced their non-participation in the meeting. Meanwhile, demonstrators in front of the parliament called on President Nicholas Timofti to annul the decree appointing Pavel Filip as a candidate for prime minister.

During the parliamentary meeting, the Socialist faction demanded a 3-hour break so that all deputies outside the capital could participate in the meeting. The parliamentary majority rejected the proposal of the socialists, who in turn blocked the central rostrum. Representatives of the Democratic Party Konstantin Tsutsu and Konstantin Botnar tore posters from the hands of the socialists, threatening, according to the statements of the socialists, physical harm. The candidate for prime ministers was forced to speak while on the podium.

At the suggestion of the leader of the Democratic Party, Marian Lupu, the parliamentary majority missed a round of questions and answers, a presentation of the government’s program of activities, and went straight to the voting process. The composition of the government and the candidacy of Prime Minister Pavel Filip were approved with 57 votes out of 101. The parliamentary meeting was declared closed 20 minutes after the start of ^[14] .

Immediately after the government approved, the protesters tried to break through the cordon of the parliament building, demanding the annulment of the decision to appoint the government. Deputies and journalists were blocked in the building, however some deputies, prime ministers and cabinet members were withdrawn through a secret exit. The leader of the Liberal Party, Mihai Ghimpu, who was also trying to leave parliament, was attacked by protesters near the Patria cinema, shouting “Judah!” They tried to hold him over the so-called. the hallway of shame. During the clashes, Mihai Ghimpu received a head injury ^[15] .

By 6:00 p.m. the protesters broke through the cordon, advanced to the rear entrance to parliament, pushed the police back into the building, trying to break open the door with improvised means. Already after 10 minutes the door was cracked, demonstrators took away shields, helmets from the police and threw out documents. Police officers used tear gas to protest. Closer to 19:00, demonstrators broke through to the second floor of the parliament building. The leader of the Dignity and Truth platform, Andrei Nastase, the leader of the Socialist Party, Igor Dodon, and the leader of Our Party, Renato Usatii, being near the parliament entrance, called on the protesters to leave the building ^[15] .

After 20:30, about a thousand police officers were brought to Parliament, and they began to free the building from protesters. During another clash with the police, one of the DA platform leaders Kirill Motzpan was injured . Gradually, by 9:30 p.m. all demonstrators were ousted from the building to keep warm, protesters began to make bonfires near the Parliament.

Around midnight, it was announced that the government of Paul Philip was sworn in before the President. There were no journalists at the event, the banana of Gagauzia Irina Vlakh and the president of the Academy of Sciences Georgy Duka were also not invited ^{[16] [16]} .

January 21

Opposition parties on January 21 urged their supporters to resume protests in the Great National Assembly Square. Representatives of the Civil platform "Dignity and Truth", socialists, "Our Party" once again confirmed their solidarity in the fight against the ruling majority, regardless of political and geopolitical preferences. The protesters, led by Andrei Nastase, Igor Dodon, and Renato Usatii, went to the building of the national operator Moldtelecom, where they demanded to return the broadcast of the Jurnal TV channel. Then the protesters headed towards the Constitutional Court. The Socialist faction, on behalf of all opposition forces, appealed to the Constitutional Court the procedure for approving the government and the presidential decree on the appointment of the government under the leadership of Pavel Filip ^[17] .

A meeting between representatives of the authorities and the opposition, initiated at the suggestion of the Chairman of the Parliament, Andrian Candu . scheduled for 10:00 was rescheduled for 15:00. From the ruling majority, parliamentary speaker Andrian Candu, honorary chairman of the Democratic Party Dmitry Dyakov and vice-chairman of the Liberal Party took part in the talks, opposition leaders Andrei Nastase, Igor Dodon and Renato Usatii spoke on behalf of the protesters. The opposition demanded the annulment of the January 20 vote for the government of Pavel Filip, the organization of early parliamentary elections and a national referendum on the popular election of the president. Andrian Candu announced that the parliamentary majority will make a final decision on the demands of the opposition no later than 12:00 on January 22 ^[18] .

January 22

On January 22, supporters of the opposition Socialist Party, Our Party, and the Dignity and Truth platform resumed protests in central Chisinau. Protesters at the same time representatives of pro-Russian parties near the Parliament building on the one hand and the civil platform “Dignity and Truth” on the Great National Assembly Square on the other hand reunited by 12:00. By this time, the ultimatum had expired, which the opposition put forward to the authorities to annul the parliamentary vote on the election of the government of Pavel Filip. The protesters marched in a single column to the Telecentre, where they held a protest outside the public television building "Moldova 1" demanding to objectively cover the opposition’s protests.

At 14:00, opposition leaders met with the director of the public television Moldova 1 Mircea Surdu. The main requirement for public television is the objective coverage of events taking place in the country. Director of Moldova 1 Mircea Surdu agreed to provide the opposition with a live broadcast at 14:30. Igor Dodon, Renato Usatii and Vasile Nastase announced the continuation of protests on January 24 at the Great National Assembly Square.

At 15:00, a convoy of protesters approached the Ministry of Defense, demanding the resignation of Minister Anatol Salaru, then went to jail No. 13. The opposition demanded the release of the “Petrenko group”, whose members are called political prisoners. By 5:30 pm, the protesters approached the Ministry of Justice, where they called for the registration of the party " Platform Dignity and Truth ." Party leader Andrei Nastase announced the Ministry’s refusal to register the party. By 6:00 pm, opposition supporters returned to Chisinau’s central square. Speaking to the protesters, Igor Dodon said that the Constitutional Court rejected the request of the Socialist Party to annul the approval of the government and the presidential decree on the appointment of a new Cabinet under the leadership of Pavel Filip ^[19] .

Despite the fact that initially the Chairman of the Parliament, Andrian Candu, promised the representatives of the opposition to give an answer to their demands at 12:00, his press conference took place only at 21:00. Candu said that, following meetings with representatives of the parliamentary majority, a decision was made not to annul the vote for the government of Pavel Filip and not to support the idea of ​​early parliamentary elections. The head of parliament invited the opposition to further negotiations on January 25 ^[20] .

The Liberal Democratic Party, following a meeting of the parliamentary faction, expelled from the ranks of the faction 7 deputies who supported the parliamentary majority and the government, and announced support for opposition protests ^[21] .

January 24th

Initially, on January 24, two protests were to take place in the center of Chisinau, in support of and against the government of Pavel Filip, but the rally in support of the government was canceled. According to various sources, from 25 thousand to 100 thousand people gathered at the Great National Assembly Square by 12:00, demanding the immediate dissolution of the Parliament and the organization of early elections. Many of the protesters carried chrysanthemums in their hands as an embodiment of the peaceful struggle with the oligarchic regime.

The protesters at the Great National Assembly Square adopted a resolution that stated the following requirements: the organization of early parliamentary elections no later than April 2016, the resignation of the leadership of the National Bank, the General Prosecutor's Office, the Central Election Commission, the Coordinating Council for Television and Radio, and the Public Television and Radio Company Moldova ”, Information and Security Services, General Inspectorate of Police, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Supreme Court of Justice, release of political prisoners s, registration by the Ministry of Justice of the party "Platform" Dignity and Truth " . In order to ensure compliance with the requirements, the creation of the National Salvation Council was announced ^[22] .

After a two-hour protest, opposition supporters marched towards the National Anti-Corruption Center, demanding the resignation of center director Viorel Ketraru. Then the protesters headed to Kalya Yeshilor Street, where they blocked the entrance to the city for an hour.

Returning to the central square of Chisinau, the protesters announced an ultimatum: their demands should be considered and the authorities should respond before 17:00 on January 28, otherwise the protesters would take more decisive action ^[23] .

March - November

On March 4, the Constitutional Court of Moldova ruled that the presidential election would again be held by direct vote . The first nationwide presidential election since 1996 is due to take place on October 30 ^[24] .

On March 27, rallies of supporters and opponents of the unification of Moldova and Romania were held in Chisinau. ^[25] Meanwhile, the Moldovan press published a "plan for the inclusion of the territory between the Dniester and the Prut into Romania, the EU and NATO." Moldovan socialists will demand support for statehood, opposing the unification of Moldova with Romania, as well as demand the organization of early parliamentary elections along with the presidential. ^[26]

On April 27, participants in an anti-government protest in Chisinau surrounded the Moldovan government building. The opposition center-right platform DA (Dignity and Truth) was the organizer of the anti-government rally on Palm Sunday. During the protest, a rally resolution was passed demanding the resignation of the government and early parliamentary elections along with the presidential election. Hundreds of policemen in several rows lined up in a dense cordon between the protesters and the building of the republic’s Cabinet. They are equipped with shields, helmets and special equipment. Protesters chant: "We're not giving up," "Early Elections," "Resignation," "Shame." DA platform activists called on protesters to protest peacefully. ^[27] Clashes with the police took place at this rally. Protesters threw stones at the police. Also, the protesters held a picket outside the office of Plahotniuc. Then they headed back to the central square of Chisinau, but they again stopped at the house of the vice-chairman of the Democratic Party. ^[28] A few days later, repressions began against the participants in this action.

• According to Moldovan oppositionist Mark Tkachuk , the same slogans are used during these protests as during the 2010-2014 protests organized by the communists , but there is a significant difference, according to Tkachuk: “This is the first Moldovan protest in recent years to receive Western legitimacy " ^[29] .

On January 21-22, 2016, journalists from the Russian TV channels Lifenews , Channel One , VGTRK , Tsargrad TV and REN TV , as well as TASS and RIA Novosti agencies, were expelled from the country or were denied entry. The reasons were the lack of a statement of the purpose of the visit and work without official accreditation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; some journalists were barred from entering the country for five to ten years ^{[30] [31]} . OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović called on Moldovan authorities not to impede the work of journalists ^[32] .

On January 22, 2016, in Chisinau, near the building of the public television “Moldova 1”, a rally was held demanding the resignation of the leadership of this media and the broadcasting of opposition representatives, as well as the resumption of broadcasting of the Jurnal TV channel ^[33] .

• Moldovan Presidential Election (2016)
• Protests in Armenia (2015)
• Euromaidan