Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up KISSINAU, Sept 18 (Reuters) – Thousands of protesters decrying high inflation and fuel prices rallied outside Moldova’s government on Sunday demanding the resignation of pro-Western President Maya Sandu and her government. It was the biggest protest in the small former Soviet state since Sadhu was elected in a landslide in 2020 on pledges to stamp out corruption. Since then he has promised to secure membership of the European Union, which has provided large amounts of aid. The crowd in the city’s central square appeared to number around 20,000 — although opposition organizers said that number was twice that and police estimated 6,500 attended. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up “Moldova is now in clinical death, which the current authorities have led it to,” said Dinou Turcanu, a politician from the opposition party of Ilan Shor, an exiled businessman convicted of fraud in connection with a $1 billion banking scandal. The main suspect in this scam, businessman Vlad Plahotniuc, is also outside Moldova, his whereabouts unknown. Moldova buys its gas from Russian gas giant Gazprom ( GAZP.MM ) under a contract drawn up last year. The price fluctuates monthly, calculated from the spot price for natural gas and oil depending on the season. Spot prices have soared this year. Sandwiched between Ukraine and EU member Romania, the territory of Moldova was, in turn, part of the Russian Empire, “Greater Romania” and the Soviet Union in the 19th and 20th centuries. Its 3.5 million are suffering severe financial hardship related to energy prices, the cost of which rose 29% in September after rising almost 50% in August. Since Sandu took power, Moldova’s attorney general has been removed and its former president, who was close to Moscow, has been placed under house arrest. Protesters accused Sandu of failing to negotiate a more reasonable gas price with Moscow. Many set up a tent camp outside government headquarters and vowed to remain in place until Sadhu steps down and calls early elections. The country cut its growth estimate to zero for 2022, hurt by high inflation at 34.3% and interest rates at 21.5%. Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita said this month that Moldova’s economy is expected to grow at a modest 1.5 percent next year. Analyst Vitalie Andrievschi rejected suggestions by some commentators that Sandu resembled the late Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, a liberal praised in the West but unpopular at home. “Sadhu’s biggest shortcoming is that he cannot communicate with ordinary Moldovans,” he told Reuters. “Sandu and her government are unable to take their share of responsibility and punish those who are clearly unable to do their job.” Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up Reporting by Alexander Tanas, writing by Pavel Polityuk and Ron Popeski. edited by David Evans and Diane Craft Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
