Opposition supporters have marched in Chisinau to protest Moldova’s pro-EU government under President Maia Sandu. The rally, organized by the country’s largest opposition group, coincided with International Labor Day, celebrated on May 1.

According to the organizers – the Party of Socialists led by former President Igor Dodon – around 10,000 people took part in the march on Thursday. Demonstrators carried Moldovan and Socialist Party flags, banners with Soviet-era symbols, and posters with slogans against “social genocide.” They also chanted in support of Moldova’s sovereignty and a future free from foreign interference.

In a promotional video ahead of the march, the organizers criticized the government for rising prices, mass emigration, and the loss of sovereignty, blaming foreign influence for the country’s deepening problems.

“We will gather in Chisinau to remember that Moldova belongs to its people. This march is the beginning of our struggle for sovereignty, for neutrality, for national interests,” the Party of Socialists said in the message.

Addressing the crowd, Dodon called the rally the “informal start” of his party’s parliamentary election campaign. An election is expected to take place in September.

Dodon said the march was organized not only to celebrate Labor Day, but also to protest the country’s political and economic direction.

“Moldova is going through difficult times. The country is sinking deeper into debt, people are becoming poor, young people are leaving en masse, and national wealth is being destroyed,” he stated. “The current government has turned our homeland into a bargaining chip in other people’s games and is dragging Moldova towards war. We say enough is enough!”

Media reports suggest that the march remained peaceful, with no incidents or clashes.

Moldova, a former Soviet republic wedged between Romania and Ukraine, has pushed for EU and NATO membership since 2020, when Sandu, a pro-Western leader and critic of Russia, came to power. One of Europe’s poorest countries, Moldova has seen persistent accusations from Sandu’s opponents, who claim her administration has caused economic and energy crises. Sandu was reelected last year, but her runoff win remains a point of contention.

The Party of Socialists has opposed Sandu’s reelection and refused to recognize her victory in last year’s runoff. Last month, the party also accused her administration of “an unprecedented act of spiritual terror” after a senior Moldovan Orthodox Church bishop was barred from traveling to Jerusalem for an Easter ritual.