“Our Home is Moldova” (OHM) party has called upon all citizens of Moldova to take part in daily actions of protest against the new tariffs on electricity and natural gas.

 

OHM Chairman Grigore Petrenco stated at a news conference at Infotag today that the new tariffs will be a heavy blow first and foremost on the most needy population categories – low-income families and pensioners, and certainly on the country’s budget as a whole.

 

“The National Energy Regulatory Agency [ANRE] took the decision to raise the electricity tariff by 35% and gas tariff by 15% late at night last Friday. What happened in the ANRE was actually a violation of the law because that was a public hearing, but the regulatory agency, fully controlled by oligarch Vlad Plahotniuc, ordered to throw four OHM activists out of the room”, said Grigore Petrenco.

 

According to him, the actions of protest will begin on Wednesday at 8 pm, and will be held daily before the ANRE building and before all Plahotniuc offices. Protesting will be organized also in all raions of Moldova.

 

“Citizens have the right to know who robs them and who is standing behind the ANRE decision. A tariff raising is impermissible prior to a thorough audit of energy supplying companies and prior to the introduction of nominal compensations. Without all this, the tariff raising decision is unlawful”, stated Grigore Petrenco.

 

In his words, there is only one person who will benefit from the new tariffs – Vlad Plahotniuc, “to whom even the stolen billion euros is not enough!”

 

“We don't want the glory of protest organizers. We want the Moldovan society to stand up and get united against this lawlessness like people in Armenia did when an attempt was made there to push up energy tariffs by merely 18%. Those responsible for new tariffs need to be punished, and only broad population masses can do this”, stated the OHM leader.

 

Grigore Petrenco believes that a blackening campaign may well be unfolded against OHM activists, “and we will be certainly portrayed as radicals, and weaponry will be necessarily found at our homes or office”.