The demonstrators called for early elections, shouting ‘Down with Boc!' and ‘Down with Basescu!'.

Unionists, opposition politicians, but also ordinary people took to the streets to express their frustration. They promised to come back also on Thursday in the Unirii Square.

Anti-government protests were also staged in Ploiesti (60 km north of Bucharest), with about 40 members of revolutionary associations from the county of Prahova demonstrating for the 19th day in a row.

According to spokesperson of Prahova County Gendarmerie Inspectorate Leonard Dragomirescu, the protesters chanted anti-government and anti-presidential slogans, demanding the resignation of President Traian Basescu and early elections.

For the first time since protests have broken out in Sibiu (north-west of Bucharest), the number of the demonstrators went down to 70 and the march lasted an hour less, due to the frosty weather (minus 16 degrees Celsius).

People warm themselves drinking hot tea offered by citizens who prefer to remain anonymous. The organizers, the revolutioners of the Association Sibiu December 89, prolonged the protest authorized by the city hall until Feb. 7.

Some tens of protesters assembled on Wednesday in front of the Administrative Palace in Suceava (north-east of Bucharest), enduring temperatures of minus 20 degrees Celsius, for the 19th straight day, calling on the Romanian Government and President Basescu to step down.

The demonstrators held banners reading ‘Long live the great party - the Democratic Liberal Party!', chanted anti-government slogans and sang ‘Spring will come, more people will protest!'.

At the same time, they asked Romania's withdrawal from the ACTA (Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement) agreement and chanted more slogans such as ‘We do not want parks in forests!' and ‘We want hospitals, not swimming polls!'.AGERPRES