Moldova anti-govt protesters return amid energy crisis

By CRISTIAN JARDAN and STEPHEN McGRATH
Associated Press

CHISINAU, Moldova (AP) — Thousands of anti-government protesters returned to the streets of Moldova’s capital to express their dismay amid an acute winter energy crisis and skyrocketing inflation. The protesters converged Sunday in the capital, Chisinau, calling for an early election and the resignation of Moldova’s pro-Western President Maia Sandu. Moldova has taken a distinctly Western-oriented path over the last year, but over the past two months, a protests initiated by the populist Shor Party have rocked the country. The Shor Party’s leader, Ilan Shor, is a Moldovan oligarch currently in exile in Israel. The U.S. says he is working with Russian interests to create political unrest in Moldova, Europe’s poorest country.