The leader of the Socialist lawmakers Igor Dodon was booed by the Liberal MPs in the May 11 sitting of Parliament after he thanked the other MPs for not voting in favor of including a draft decision on declaring May 16 as National Mourning Day in the agenda, Info-Prim Neo reports. The Liberal lawmakers suggested including the draft decision in the agenda, but Speaker Marian Lupu refused it for personal convictions. They asked for a break and then their request was put to the vote. Only 24 MPs voted in favor. “It is a proof that the MPs are cowards. The Liberal Party did not want to improve its image by this initiative. The Standing Bureau should have been convened to discuss this draft decision. You, Mister Dodon, have profited from the almost 200 years of occupation,” said the leader of the Liberal parliamentary group Ion Hadarca. Igor Dodon used the right to reply and thanked those who did not back the draft decision. “You proved political maturity and did not yield to Ghimpu’s blackmail (Mihai Ghimpu, the chairman of the Liberal Party – e.n.). I think these 200 years were beneficial to Moldova,” he stated. After he made these statements, the Liberal MPs booed Igor Dodon, while Mihai Ghimpu named him Don Laden, making reference to the terrorist Ben Laden. Mihai Ghimpu said that the Moldovan people continue to be occupied if a lawmaker makes such statements.