Moldovan Protesters to Block Presidential Residence Unless Talks Begin

Protesters in the Moldovan capital of Chisinau intend to picket the residence of President Nicolae Timofti on Tuesday, if the country's leadership continues to refuse to negotiate with the activists, one of the leaders of the civic platform Dignity and Truth (DA) said.

CHISINAU (Sputnik) — Since Sunday, protesters in Chisinau have been demanding the resignation of the Moldovan government and the chief prosecutor, as well as calling for early parliamentary elections and action on corruption.

"If on Tuesday till 5 p.m. [14:00 GMT] there is no reaction by the authorities, we will go to the presidential residence to demand a meeting, which we have been trying to get for days. Once again, I call on the president, the prime minister and the speaker to find time in their schedules and come to the government building to meet with the protesters," Vasily Nastase said.

He added that the activists had created a body called the Council of the Great National Assembly, which decided to open a bank account so that citizens of Moldova and foreigners could send money to support the protest.

Earlier in the day, the secretary of the Moldovan presidential administration, Ion Paduraru, said that Timofti would not step down, as such a move would not be "in the interest of the country." Paduraru also said that the president might address the protesters later on Tuesday.

The protests in Moldova were sparked by the disappearance of more than $1 billion, or the equivalent of 15 percent of the country's total gross domestic product, from three Moldovan banks last year. The incident negatively impacted on the country's banking system and depreciated the national currency, the leu.