The State of Moldova

The outcome of recent elections in Moldova has led to seemingly widespread discontent, as well as large demonstrations in Chisinau. On Tuesday, protesters stormed and severely damaged both the Parliament building and the Office of the President. The government has responded in a variety of manner, at one point declaring the Romanian Ambassador a persona non grata. Several local and international news organizations have been reporting on these events, to varying degrees. (Unfortunately, American media seems more interested in Twitter's role than in the actual events unfolding in the Republic of Moldova.)

While there has been grumbling and some organized demonstrations throughout the country, most of the protest seems concentrated in the capital. Please keep in mind: this has simply been my perception, and I am in no position to be declaring any definite facts. I merely say this to inform friends and family at home of what is going on, and that my town has remained peaceful and non-threatening, so far. I have no intention of posting anything further about the events to this blog, but friends and family are welcome to email me for updates and assurances.

For those of you looking for more information about Moldova and the history that has led to these current events, please follow these links:

• Wikipedia (of course)
• Ca La Moldova (an interesting and VERY recent documentary; link removed, as some people might find the content biased or inappropriate.)
  
• CIA World Factbook
• BBC Country Profile
  

There are a lot of really great links at the bottom of that Wikipedia page, so check those out if you just can't get enough. I'll be living life as normal, unless the situation escalates significantly. Of course, I'll let family and friends if things change for the worse.

EDIT: Here are some links to news articles that have seemed fairly accurate, although I don't think I've read a single article, yet, that has fully and fairly captured the events.

• BBC News
• Reuters