Protest over gas tariff increase: Opposition calls for early elections
The parliamentary and extra-parliamentary opposition presented their demands during a protest on July 28 in front of the Legislative Assembly. The demands included early elections, the resignation of the director of JSC "Energocom," and a refusal to raise energy prices.
The demonstration was attended by dozens of citizens carrying banners with messages such as: "Expensive gas = your theft," "With PAS, gas is getting more expensive," "We want gas at a fair price, not packaged schemes," and others.
Opposition MPs announced their protest, calling for a criminal investigation into those responsible for the rise in natural gas tariffs.
“We will demand the resignation of all individuals involved with the shell company Energocom. We will hold accountable those who purchased gas at prices higher than the market rate,” said Vlad Batrîncea, Deputy Speaker of Parliament and member of the parliamentary faction of the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova.
“I don’t believe they feel any responsibility for the country they lead. They receive high salaries; do you think they care about the rising gas prices? No. They have relatives who are unaffected when the bills arrive. Romania has implemented measures to lessen the impact of these increases on its citizens. What is the Republic of Moldova doing? It is forcing us to pay more. What actions are the Government and Parliament taking?” asked Olga Ursu, vice president of the National Alternative Movement and deputy of the parliamentary faction of the Alternative Bloc.
Opposition politicians have been calling for early elections, asserting that the current government is fearful of the people and that now is the right time for a change.
Renato Usatîi, the president of Our Party, stated, “They have already voted for their fourth government, as they hold a parliamentary majority. If the citizens of the Republic of Moldova, along with all politicians and residents both domestically and abroad, unite to create a blockage, we will not allow them to vote for any other Cabinet after the departure of the Tofan Government. Immediately after the Tofan Government leaves, the Republic of Moldova must have early elections.”
Mark Tkaciuk, the leader of the Party of Common Action - Civic Congress and a member of parliament, said, “The only force that can bring justice, restore law and order, and empower the people is you and no one else. That’s why we must do everything in our power to achieve this. We can unite, as unity is their greatest fear. They are afraid of their own people, they are afraid of democracy, and they are afraid of transparency.”
The resignation of key individuals will not lead to a reduction in tariffs, as decisions will be made “from above,” the protesters stated.
“Even if we demand the resignation of the head of Energocom and the Minister of Energy, and they leave today, it won't make a difference because the inflated prices will still appear on our bills. The increase in tariffs will trigger a chain reaction, raising the prices of all basic social products,” warned Vasile Costiuc, deputy and president of the “Democracy at Home” Party.
“I think it's time to tell them that we will not pay a single penny more until there is transparency and they publish the contracts. The employees at Energocom receive high salaries that should be based on performance. When we are paying more for gas, they do not deserve those salaries. We are here today to make it clear: we will no longer pay without accountability! We will not pay bills simply because we are asked to. We refuse to pay until we have full visibility into the situation!” declared Olesea Stamate, the former Minister of Justice and ex-vice-president of the Action and Solidarity Party.
Household consumers may see gas prices rise to 20.3 lei per cubic meter, 5.88 lei above the current rate. The National Energy Regulatory Agency (ANRE) has released a draft decision proposing a tariff of 18.7 lei per cubic meter, excluding VAT, or 20.3 lei per cubic meter, including VAT.
This proposed increase follows a request from the supplier, SA "Energocom," which has sought an even higher price adjustment: 19.3 lei per cubic meter excluding VAT and 20.93 lei per cubic meter including VAT. Energocom cites rising acquisition costs and accumulated financial deviations exceeding 106 million lei as reasons for the request.
According to the Minister of Energy, Dorin Junghietu, this tariff adjustment aligns with ANRE's methodology and is largely influenced by fluctuations in international market prices. Furthermore, ANRE Director Constantin Borosan noted that the regulated price for supplying natural gas to end consumers is no longer sufficient to cover the costs of purchasing gas on the international market.
