Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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April 7, 2009

Moldovan Protesters Attack Parliament, Presidential Offices
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Thousands protest Communist party's victory in parliamentary elections 
       Anti-communist demonstrators hold a flag which reads 'Stop the
Communist Dictatorship' outside the presidential palace in Chisinau,
Moldova, 06 Apr 2009

 Thousands of protesters in the ex-Soviet state of Moldova have stormed
parliament and the offices of the president, to protest the Communist
Party victory in Sunday's parliamentary elections.

 Demonstrators, mostly students, overwhelmed police guarding the
facilities in the capital, Chisinau. They smashed parliament windows and
hurled furniture outside the building into a nearby bonfire. 

 Television footage showed protesters, some carrying Moldovan flags,
ransacking the legislature, while several bloodied police officers were
pulled from the building.

 Security forces trained tear gas and water canon on crowds protesting
outside the presidential residence.

 A local hospital official says more than 20 people, both police and
protesters, have been injured in the demonstrations.

 Moldova's communist President Vladimir Voronin is to step down Tuesday
after two consecutive terms. The new parliament is then scheduled to
vote on his successor.

 Monitors from Europe's largest security organization said Sunday's
elections met many democratic standards. 

 The evaluation by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe came Monday, as vote tallies showed communists winning an
absolute majority in the legislature.

 Witnesses say the students see no future if communists maintain power
in the country of four million residents that is wedged between Ukraine
and Romania.

 But Russian President Dmitri Medvedev, whose government maintains
strong ties with Moldovan leaders, has already congratulated outgoing
President Voronin on his party's win. The Russian Foreign Ministry
Tuesday said it was "deeply concerned" by the rioting.

 European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana called attacks on
government buildings unacceptable and urged all sides to refrain from
violence.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters. 


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