A protest was held in front of the parliament building in Moldova's capital Chisinau against the government's plan to raise natural gas prices by 45 percent. The peaceful demonstration was attended by opposition parties including the Socialist Party, the Communist Party, and the Party of Development and Consolidation of Moldova, along with various civil society organizations. Security forces did not intervene.
The protest was triggered by an application from the state energy company Energocom to the National Energy Regulatory Agency (NARE). The company requested an increase in the household natural gas tariff from $0.82 to $1.19 per cubic meter. Energocom justified the proposed hike by citing a sharp rise in gas purchase prices on European markets.
Protest participants
- Socialist Party
- Communist Party
- Party of Development and Consolidation of Moldova
- Citizens' Congress
- National Alternative Movement
- "Democracy at Home" group
- Other civil society organizations
Geopolitical background of the price hike
Moldova and the Transnistria region lost access to Russian gas after Ukraine stopped the transit of Russian natural gas to Europe and the Chisinau government refrained from paying its debt to Gazprom. This forced the Moldovan government to source its gas from European countries, triggering the tariff hikes passed on to consumers.