Thousands of people took to the streets on June 24 to demand that the election of Andrei Nastase as mayor of Chisinau should be validated. The protesters came together in front of the Chisinau City Hall and then marched to the Great National Assembly Square and later to the Parliament Building, where some of the protesters spent the night. The Moldovan diaspora in about 25 countries joined in and protested for the same cause. The demonstrators carried placards and chanted such slogans as “We will not give up!”, “Validation!” “Down with the dictatorship!”, “Justice is corrupt!”, “Unity!”, “Ballot box is not garbage bin!”, “I resist!”, “Nastase is the mayor!”, IPN reports.
Mayor-elect Andrei Nastase said the people want a free and dignified life at home, but the creation of decent conditions in the country depends on the people‘s unity. “We came to obtain the right to justice, which includes the right to elect,” he stated, noting that more than 1 million Moldovans now work abroad because some rascals have shattered this country since 1990. He congratulated the protesters who came in a larger number from many of the country’s districts and thanked them for their determination.
The leader of the Party “Action and Solidarity” Maia Sandu said several days ago the government left its last mask. “And everyone clearly saw that evil interests are pursued behind the ostensibly promoted European course by an individual with dictatorial plans, who decided that the country fully belongs to him. You are those who form the basis of democracy and freedom. Together we can stop this dictatorship,” she stated, highlighting that if the people allow the government to rob their vote now, this will rob their vote in the upcoming parliamentary elections and in the next elections too.
Liberal-Democratic MP Maria Ciobanu said they protest against the government and to defend justice in Romania. In Moldova they protest against justice that acts in concert with the government. “The judiciary took part in multiple illegalities, making the people leave the country. The judges are those who bear the blame and should be removed from the system. Andrei Nastase is our legitimate mayor,” she noted.
Deputy chairman of the Party “Platform Dignity and Truth” Alexandru Slusari said the presidential elections in 2016 were rigged. Then the Constitutional Court ascertained a number of illegalities committed in the elections, but ultimately concluded that these didn’t influence the election outcome. The people protest not for Andrei Nastase, but rather for not becoming slaves. “It is a great shame! The invalidation of the election owing to an innocent message on Facebook is a big crime and lawlessness. Plahotniunc will go further. Our future is not safe in this country,” stated Alexandru Slusari.
Political analyst Arcadrie Barbarosie said the people want Andrei Nastase to be not an ordinary functionary, but an honest person who could clear the City Hall of corrupt people and would improve things in the capital city. He called on everyone to support the protest and to say it clearly “We want democracy!”.
Attending the protest, judge Domnica Manole said the invalidation of the election of Andrei Nastase based on different alleged reasons brought the independence of the judicial system in question. “The Superior Council of Magistracy acts in another world, not in the Republic of Moldova. When a person or several persons express indignation is one thing, but when a large mass of people protest, doesn’t this point to selective justice that is politically subdued? The people who are here in a larger number are the proof of the fact that we have a politically subdued justice sector,” she noted.
Viorel Ciubotaru, chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova, said Andrei Nastase hasn’t yet occupied the seat of mayor because the system is rotten and the absolute power corrupts in an absolute way. This should be confirmed as mayor as soon as possible so that he and his team start to change things. Or the people should combine forces and destroy this system.
Writer and publicist Mircea Ciobanu said that when the citizens‘ vote is denied, this is not only a violation that should be annulled, but is also an act for which those responsible should go to jail.
Singer Catalin Josan said the young people are a power that can change things because the parents lost strength already. He called on the youth to continue to be active not only through Facebook, as they did during the June 24 protest.
The participants were invited to protest again today, June 25, at the Supreme Court of Justice, where the decisive hearing in the case of the validation of the election of Andrei Nastase as mayor will start at 3:30pm.
During the protests, a number of buses with police officers were stationed near the City Hal and behind the Government Building, being ready to intervene if need be.
The wave of protests started after the Chisinau City Court on June 19 decided to not validate the early mayoral elections held in the capital city and later the Appeal Court upheld the invalidation.
