Moldova (MNN) ― When Moldova's election results went to the Communist Party, protesters claimed the process was rigged.
Moldova's ruling Communist Party, the first communists to win power in the former Soviet Union, swept weekend legislative elections by winning about half the vote.
Riots in the capital provoked strong response from the new government and from protesters.
Police have regained control, but not before Moldova recalled its ambassador to Romania, and not before Russia got involved.
Russia's foreign ministry says the riots undermined the sovereignty of the former Soviet State. Meanwhile, the Moldovan president accused Romania of stirring the unrest in the capital this week. Romania rejected the accusation as a "provocation."
Mission Network News spoke with a missionary serving with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship in Moldova. For security purposes, we'll call him "Reed."
Moldova is Europe's poorest state, with 4.3 million people. Against that backdrop, Reed says, "I spoke to several people who said they could not stand another four years of this regime and that they were planning to leave the country and look for work elsewhere."
Unlike the revolutions of Georgia and Ukraine, the protests seemed to be a spontaneous reaction to the election result, Reed notes. It spread through word of mouth and messages over the internet and mobile phones. The main opposition parties were quick to distance themselves, saying they had no major role in the protests.
The youth of the protesters reflected the generation gap. Reed says, "Most had put their hope for a future on the election, and they were expecting radical change. When that didn't happen, a lot of them were quite frustrated."
Border closures forced the cancellation of a ministry retreat this weekend with Moldovan and Romanian college students.
Reed says this might not be the first venture to be jeopardized. "With the collaboration and the assistance that the Romanian churches have been offering the Moldovan churches and Moldovan ministries, if this continues long-term--this animosity toward Europe and Romania, then there will be a lot of effects on many different ministry projects."
Keep praying for the ministry teams in this region as they work to put hope before the disillusioned. Pray for wisdom and boldness for believers.
