Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova

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.

Former Moldovan president Igor Dodon on Wednesday said his detention on Tuesday on treason charges was "a political case", claiming that the governing pro-European Action and Solidarity Party, PAS, was pusuing a vendetta.

Several thousand people in Moldova's capital Chisinau took part in an "Immortal Regiment" march on Monday, organised by the pro-Russian Socialist Party, PSRM, many of them breaking a new law that bans the display of symbols glorifying the former Soviet communist regime.

Former pro-Russian president Igor Dodon quits as Socialist Party leader and flies to Moscow. Experts see his party's disintegration as unstoppable.

Moldovan deputies taking a vote in the parliament. Photo: EPA/Doru Dumitru

"Maia Sandu will organise these elections from her office, as 120 million lei [about 6 million euros] are needed for the elections, and parliament will not vote for that," Dodon said, referencing the pro-EU President seeking early polls.

The ambassadors of 22 EU member states issued a joint statement on Thursday afternoon rejecting the public attacks on the EU Ambassador to Moldova, Peter Michalko, by the pro-Russian Socialist Party, PSRM, and Shor Party, led by a fugitive oligarch, Ilan Shor.

Faced with criticism of his paid trip to Moscow, which Russian officials booked and covered, Moldova's ex-President, Igor Dodon, has responded by insisting that he could only visit Russia with an official invitation as a result of pandemic rules.

Moldova's pro-Western President Maia Sandu stepped deeper into an all-out confrontation with parliament on Thursday when she rejected its nomination of a new prime minister - and again put forward a rival candidate with no support among MPs.

And, as a parliamentary republic, the prerogatives of the new president are limited. Without the support of a parliamentary majority, which would then form a pro-European government, Sandu's political agenda will continuously be countered by Dodon and the PSRM.

Moldovan Prime Minister Ion Chicu announced his resignation on Tuesday alongside outgoing President Igor Dodon and Parliament's Speaker, Zinaida Greceanii.