Moldovan Premier Calls For Calm, Says Won't Resign

Moldova's new Prime Minister Pavel Filip called for calm from protesters demanding his resignation and said he will not step down but will fight to restore public confidence.

"The political class now has its last chance to restore Moldovans' and our international partners' trust," Filip told reporters in Bucharest on January 26.

On a visit to neighboring Romania, Filip said the elite was responsible for a political crisis that has spurred mass protests in recent weeks.

Some 40,000 people took to the streets last weekend to demand early elections just days after a new government was sworn in -- the third such administration to take office within a year.

Filip said he had no intention of resigning, telling the BBC that Moldova desperately needs stable government to avoid a "deep economic and social crisis."

He added that action would be taken against protesters who "cross a red line and become violent."

Moldova has been mired in crisis since April when the exposure of a $1-billion corruption scandal triggered huge protests and the arrest of former premier Vlad Filat.

The country is torn between those who want it to join neighboring Romania in the European Union and those who want closer relations with Soviet-era ally Moscow.

Based on reporting by dpa, Interfax, and BBC