* Demonstration unlikely to sway govt policy, analysts say
* Part of wider wave of protests across Europe
BUCHAREST, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Thousands of Romanian clerks, nurses and teachers marched through the capital Bucharest on Wednesday protesting against tax hikes and state sector wage cuts, but the demonstration looked unlikely to sway policy.
Austerity measures in recession-hit Romania, vital to the country's 20 billion euros aid package led by the International Monetary Fund, have left the government deeply unpopular and facing a no confidence vote in parliament next month. [ID:nLDE68J1NV]
The protest is part of a wider wave of discontent across Europe where unions are staging rallies against austerity measures. However, analysts have said the actions are unlikely to deter cash-strapped governments.
Around 10,000 people protested outside government headquarters in Bucharest, according to riot police, although union leaders put the total at up to 17,000. The protesters blew whistles and urged Prime Minister Emil Boc to resign.
Union representatives had expected 20,000 people to attend after a May demonstration pulled in some 30,000 protesters.
The centrist government has raised VAT by 5 percentage points to 24 percent to cut the country's vast budget deficit and reduced public wages by 25 percent, as well as axeing thousands of state jobs.
Support for Boc's Democrat-Liberals has plummeted to record lows at 13 percent.
The march limited the leu currency's