The protesters streamed into the capital of Chisinau from all regions of the small, largely rural, ex-Soviet state to demonstrate in a central square outside the main government building.

Several protesters have been detained after tens of thousands in Moldova took to the streets of the capital to demand the dissolution of the new government following corruption scandals.

The rally, organized by the Civic Platform, is seeking the resignation of Moldovan President Nicolae Timofti and early elections to be called no later than March 2016.

“Organisers claimed 100,000 people had attended the demonstrations, which were ongoing on Sunday evening, while police put the number at 35,000-40,000”.

Clashes broke out with police at the prosecutor general’s headquarters, where activists tried to set up an occupy-style tent encampment.

“Our intention is not to recreate the Ukrainian Maidan because we don’t want any kind of confrontation”, Nastase said by phone, referring to the square in Kiev where Ukraine’s protests began.

The fraud, uncovered early this year, has triggered the devaluation of the national currency, stoking inflation and driving down standards of living in a country where many families struggle to survive on around $300 a month. “It is quaking with fear, doing everything it can to stop people from all regions coming here to the capital, Chisinau”, said one organiser, Valentin Dolganiuc, speaking from a tribune.

In addition to the massive rally, the protesters in tents are expected to remain outside the prosecutor general’s office as a visual reminder of the fraud.

The banking scam has also shaken the confidence of Western allies and global lenders which help keep Moldova’s economy afloat and European Union budgetary support for the country has been put on hold until the affair has been cleared up.

According to Luhn, Moldova’s parliament narrowly elected a new prime minister in July amid increasing political turbulence.

The global Monetary Fund and World Bank stopped lending to Moldova after the incident, and the return of the money remains a key demand of the current protests.

Late on Sunday afternoon, the government accepted an official list of demands from the organizers, but refused their request to speak directly to the hostile crowd.