Moldovan Deputy Resigns Over Socialist Party’s Stance on Ukraine

A Moldovan deputy for the pro-Russian Socialist Party, Alla Dolinta, resigned on Wednesday from parliament and from the Socialist Party of Moldova, PSRM, because of the party's stance on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

"For over four-and-a-half months, in a neighbouring state, Ukraine, which is essentially my home because my parents were born there, is at war," she said.

"It is difficult for me to see the pain, the tears, the troubles and the destruction it brings. It is tough for me to accept these events. For me, the pain of Ukraine is my pain," she added in her resignation letter.

Dolnita's resignation comes as the de facto leader of the PSRM, the former Moldovan president Igor Dodon, faces criminal charges and risks a 20-year jail sentence if found guilty.

The PSRM is the main opposition force in the legislature.

An investigation conducted by the investigative media outlet RISE Moldova about the headquarters of PSRM showed that the building on Lazo Street 25 in Chisinau, belongs to Dolinta, through a company.

The building of over 800 square meters, valued at about six million lei [about 300,000 euros], has been owned by the Dolinta family since October 2007.

The announcement of her resignation drew reactions from both the government and the opposition.

A deputy from the ruling pro-Western PAS, Dumitru Alaiba, hailed Dolinta's resignation as an act of courage but warned that it remains to be seen whether other colleagues follow suit.

"She made a correct and necessary decision, denouncing the denial of reality and the criminal and complicit silence of the PSRM and PCRM [communists] about the war in Ukraine. Other colleagues should follow her example and open their eyes and not hide behind the bushes...