The Moldovan police force announced on Friday that its officers had removed more protesters’ tents near the General Prosecutor's Office in Chisinau and detained three demonstrators.

According to the department’s press service, the protesters "set up tents in front of the Prosecutor General's Office and placed them on the road, blocking the traffic" in the morning.

It also said the demonstrators left after being challenged, claiming that the three detained had been behaving "aggressively".

However, the opposition Shor party alleged that four protesters had been detained "without any legal basis and without prior warning"

"The protesters claim that while they were in front of the prosecutor's office, they were pressured by police officers, constantly bursting into tents, recording people's data and creating various obstacles in order to stop the protest," the party said in a statement.

On Thursday, the party also claimed that police had dismantled about 50 protesters' tents.

The tent protests in Chisinau have been ongoing since September, while mass anti-government rallies first began in the country in May over soaring energy and food prices, as well as falling living standards and record inflation.

Earlier this month, Moldovan President Maia Sandu asked the Cabinet of Ministers to expand the powers of the police so that security forces could disperse protests without the consent of the local authorities.

Last month, she called on law-enforcement agencies to "promptly identify the sources of illegal financing of those who pay for participation in protests and severely punish any attempts at aggression, provocation or destabilisation".

According to media reports, rallies which close roads or restrict access to public buildings are now banned on weekdays, while weekend protests are limited to four hours.