The Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union's initiative for a vote of no-confidence in the government has failed to get the backing of other opposition MPs.
The Democratic Union ‘For Lithuania’, the Labour Party, the Social Democrats, and the group of non-affiliated parliamentarians refused to support the no-confidence motion.
“Why sign it if the government has announced its intention to resign in July?” – Saulius Skvernelis, the Democratic Union’s leader, told reporters.
A failed no-confidence procedure could provide a lifeline for the government of conservative Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė, he added.
Agnė Širinskienė, head of the group of non-affiliated parliamentarians, told BNS that they had decided not to back the initiative.
“We understand very well that, as is always the case with opposition initiatives, the no-confidence initiative will most likely have no support in the Seimas and will fail, allowing Šimonytė to come out of the scandal with her head held high,” she said.
Social Democratic and Labour MPs also said that they would not support the no-confidence initiative because the government is planning to step down after NATO’s Vilnius Summit in mid-July.
The Farmers and Greens have 19 seats in the parliament, meaning that they need the support of other parliamentary groups to muster the required 29 votes to table a no-confidence motion.
Šimonytė has said that she will step down if the parliament does not support her party’s proposal to call an early general election.
LRT English Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
