Some of the demonstrators put up about ten tents in front of the presidential residence, which they tried to do a week ago near the parliament.

Protesters shouted "Down with the government!"

and "Away from My Sand!".

The protests were organized by the Shor party, whose leader

has been abroad since 2019 after being convicted of fraud and money laundering in 2017.

Supporters of the Shore party accuse the government and President

of doing too little to combat rising prices — including a 27 percent gas price hike announced on Sept. 23 — and other problems that have worsened since the Russian war. in Ukraine.

The protesters are also demanding an end to the investigation against Shore and other members of the party, which came third in the 2021 election behind the ruling Sandu Action and Solidarity Party (PAS) and the Bloc of Communists and Socialists.

Sandu, who was abroad last week, did not comment on the protests.

But government officials accused "thieves" who are concerned about judicial reform and the fight against corruption for organizing the demonstrations.

In 2017, Shor was sentenced to more than seven years in prison in connection with the loss of about one billion dollars of three Moldovan banks and is now wanted internationally.

Several members of Shor's party were stripped of parliamentary immunity following an investigation into a series of mass thefts in the period from 2013 to 2019.

Moldova is one of the poorest countries in Europe.

It faced some of the worst consequences of Russia's seven-month full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine, including significant flows of Ukrainian refugees.

There is also concern in the country that the Russian military may later try to occupy its territory.

Moldova's pro-European government accelerated its application to join the European Union after Russia invaded Ukraine and was granted candidate status along with Ukraine.

Earlier this month, Russian Foreign Minister

threatened Moldova with military retaliation if Moldovan officials "endanger the security" of Russian troops stationed in the separatist region of Transnistria.