Renewed anti-government demonstrations in Moldova (Roundup)

Apr 12, 2009, 14:08 GMT

Chisinau/Kiev - Opponents of Moldova's Communist government renewed mass protests on Sunday, with more than 10,000 people taking part in a peaceful demonstration in the capital Chisinau.

The peaceful march moved along Chisinau's main Stefan Chel Mare Boulevard halting private vehicle traffic, but in contrast with protests in previous days allowing buses and street cars to pass through the crowd.

Police presence was light as opposition speakers repeatedly called on listeners to refrain from violence.

Three opposition political parties upset with a Communist election win a week ago organized the Sunday demonstration.

The demonstrators said they were demanding the government's release of some 200 anti-government activists arrested in the wake of violent protests over the election.

Media reports Sunday, meanwhile said a protestor who was arrested earlier in the week has died in hospital.

The 23-year-old man had been beaten in detention, leading to his death, the Interfax news agency reported, quoting the protestor's parents.

But the government denied that account. All Melek, a Moldova Internal Affairs Ministry spokeswoman, said that the victim, identified as Valery Bobok, a resident of the village Vecha, died of gas inhalation, and that police did not beat him.

Thousands of mostly student-age protestors overran Moldova's Parliament and presidential residence buildings on Tuesday, destroying furniture and setting debris on fire.

One person reportedly died in the later stages of the Tuesday assault of smoke inhalation, after the Parliament building caught fire, Moldova-1 television reported.

The Communist government later accused Romanian reporters colluding with tycoons in Moldova to organize the assault. Some detainees face attempted coup charges.

Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin ordered police not to use force and subsequently met opposition demands to call for a recount of last week's vote, and allow full opposition access to the voters roll.

But police would prosecute to the full extent of the law those responsible for attacking government buildings, and possibly attempting to overthrow the government, he said on Friday.

Moldova's supreme court on Sunday ordered the Central Election Commission to conduct a full recount of all ballots, to be complete in nine days, the Infotag news agency reported.

The Communist Party of Moldova under Voronin, won 50 per cent of the popular vote giving them 60 seats in the 101-seat Parliament, according official results made public last week.

The opposition has accused the Communists of massive vote fraud, but international observers almost without exception pronounced the election fair and open.