Unionist rally in Chisinau

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Chisinau on Sunday calling for the union of the Republic of Moldova with Romania.

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România Internațional, 06.07.2015, 13:07

In an already well-established formula, and yet quite simplistic, political analysts say that in the Republic of Moldova, society has been divided between supporters of European integration and those of keeping the country on Moscows orbit. The proportions are pretty close, proof of that being the latest legislative election on November 30th, when the pro-Western parties, the Liberal-Democrats, the Democrats and the Liberals obtained only a couple of seats more than the pro-Russian leftist opposition, made up of socialists and communists.

Besides these two dominant directions, another trend is gaining growing popularity. Between Moscow and Brussels, some may prefer Bucharest though. On Sunday, 30 thousand people gathered in the capital city Chisinau to support the union with Romania. The initiators of the event, NGOs from both countries say that “only united can we face the challenges of the future and can live better in our country, a bigger country without interior borders and restrictions, with a common and prosperous destiny for all Romanians. The resolution was read by one of the most popular actors in Chisinau, Nicolae Jelescu.

Nicolae Jelescu: “We are calling on all decision makers in Romania and the Republic of Moldova that national solidarity must prevail over ideologies and party interests, and that they contribute to the union of the two banks of Prut River.

The event was staged in the same square called the National Assembly Square, which also hosted the anti-soviet protests of 1989, 1990 and where over 700 thousand people hailed the Moldovan Parliaments proclamation of independence from Moscow on August 27, 1991. For many of them, that was only a first step towards the end of the devastating effects of the soviet ultimatum of 1940, when Stalins Moscow annexed Romanias eastern territories to create the soviet Republic of Moldova.

The participants in the Sundays rally have voiced hope that starting this year, the Parliaments in Chisinau and Bucharest will start having the majorities needed for staging a referendum concerning the union of the Republic of Moldova with Romania. Until then, commentators say, Chisinau urgently needs a functional government majority. The republic is currently facing a financial-banking crisis with a budget deficit on the rise and external funding cancelled. Moreover, a month ago, the minority government backed by the Liberal-Democrats and Democrats resigned, amid repeated allegations of corruption and incompetence, following the astonishing news that Prime Minister Chiril Gaburici had forged his Baccalaureate diploma.

The Liberal-Democrats and Democrats are already holding talks with the Liberals on forging a new three-party coalition, patterned on the ruling coalition of the 2009-2014 period, which secured association and free-trade agreements with Brussels fueling hopes that the Republic of Moldova could join the EU in 2020.