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Communist Party boss Vladimir Gavrilchenko: "As of today, we are in permanent opposition to the current PMR government"

TIRASPOL (Tiraspol Times) - Marching on the traditional Communist holiday, May 1st, the Pridnestrovie Communist Party (PKP) announced the start of a permanent, nationwide protest against the government and its free market economic policies.

Angry at what they see as too much capitalism in this former part of the Soviet Union, activists and members of the Pridnestrovie Communist Party will organize and conduct nation-wide rallies, pickets, and protest marches. They will also start a mass distribution of leaflets and other printed products in order to pressure the government to reverse a series of liberalizing free market reforms.

" - I am certain that not all of our misfortunes are caused solely because of the economic blockade. Sure, our country has its enemies. Just look at the notorious economic embargo and blockade against us. But it hurts the ordinary people the worst, and not those with power and money," said Fatina Katelnikova, First Secretary of the PKP's Central Committee.

" - The irresponsibility of the government is the real reason for our miserable situation. The current government puts the interest of their family members and government officials ahead of the wellbeing of the common man," said Katelnikova.

" - That is why the Central Committee PKP took a political decision: To declare ourselves in nationwide indefinite protest. The protest action is against rising prices and fees. And against a sharp drop in living standards. Against the indifference of government to ordinary people's woes. And against reckless privatizations and the absolute rule of bureaucrats!"

The measures have no direct electoral connection, since no elections are planned for this year. Due to a lack of general voter support, the Communists are also not represented in parliament.

Old Communists want higher pensions

During Tuesday's protests, Communist Party members - mostly made up of the elderly - distributed leaflets and flyers urging an increase in the level of pensions currently paid by the government: "President, tycoons, deputies of the Supreme Council: Do not feed pensioners hand-outs once every five years. Give us a decent pension so we can live as humans and not as street dogs. Pensions are not enough to live on!"

At their May Day rally, the Communists also made it clear that support the proposed change of the electoral code. Parliament has announced that it wants the proportional representation vote counting system in its next elections, rather than the current first past the post system, and the Communists see this as a way to get at least a small foothold in Parliament.

" - A situation where Members of Parliament win an election with just 12-15% is not in the interest of the people of Pridnestrovie," said PKP in an official statement. If Parliament does not implement the reform quickly, the Central Committee of the PKP announced that it will gather signatures in support of the nationwide referendum on this issue.

The Pridnestrovie Communist Party is the local succesor to the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. It was banned for part of the 1990's. Its leader is Oleg Khorzhan.

The Communist Party of Pridnestrovie ("KPP", after its Russian initials) is the unrecognized country's second Communist group, also known as the "alternative" Communist Party. Its leader is Vladimir Gavrilchenko. It is seen as a "conservative" communist party, in contrast to the Pridnestrovie Communist Party (PKK), which is the larger of the two.

See also:
» Communist opposition demands reversal of recent free market reforms [1]
» Communist Party accuses Smirnov's government of negligence [2]
» Protest march unites local Communists against Smirnov's government [3]