Opposition Calls on the Defense Minister to Resign

The call came following yet another incident at a military base, where a soldier injured himself and shot a 16-year-old teenager whilst handling a weapon carelessly. The government commented on the incident, stating that “if the investigation reveals any violations, those responsible will be punished with the full force of the law”, reports rupor.md. The Party of Socialists (PSRM) described the incident as a national tragedy and a direct consequence of incompetence. The Socialists are demanding the immediate resignation of Defense Minister Anatolie Nosatii, stating that “while the authorities are preoccupied with militaristic rhetoric, chaos reigns within the army”. Constantin Cuiumju, an MP from “Our Party”, also called for the resignation of the minister and the Chief of the General Staff. Ion Chicu, an MP from the “Alternativa” bloc, cited his own statistics, stating that under the current minister, a young man dies in the army every three months. Amid the public outcry, Defense Minister Anatolie Nosatii himself published a message of congratulations to the peacekeeping battalion, without mentioning the tragedy in Cahul. The tragedy occurred on Sunday, 10 May, at around 1.30 pm. According to the investigation, a 20-year-old contract soldier fired a shot whilst handling a Glock pistol carelessly, resulting in the injury of an 18-year-old soldier and the death of his 16-year-old friend, who had come to visit. The soldier who fired the shot has been detained, and the weapon has been seized for forensic examination. The investigation into the case is being supervised by the public prosecutor’s office.