Three Lithuanian parties are holding coalition talks and have already distributed among themselves ministries in the future government.
Three Lithuanian parties are holding coalition talks and have already distributed among themselves ministries in the future government.
Social Democrats, as the election-winning party, will nominate Prime Minister, potentially their leader Algirdas Butkevicius. The Party has also secured for themselves seven ministries, in that - ministries of Finance, Transport and Communications, Economy, National Defence, Health, Foreign Affairs, and Justice.
The Labour Party will control five ministries - Ministries of Agriculture, Energy, Education and Science, Social Security and Labour, and Culture. It will also nominate the Seimas Speaker.
Ministries of Environment and Interior will go to the smaller Order and Justice Party.
A controversy has sparked in Lithuania’s political life when President Dalia Grybauskaite underlined that she will support only the political force that will be capable of forming the ruling majority without the Labour Party in it.
Furthermore, Labour Party is suspected of having committed the majority of gross election violations, in that vote buying, while its leader, a Russian-born entrepreneur Viktor Uspaskich, is involved in a criminal case and tried for non-transparent way of the Party accountancy.
The New Coalition refused giving any ministerial positions to the Electoral Action of Poles, although there were talks about Party's participation in the government.
According to the Social Democrats leader Algirdas Butkevicius, the Electoral Action of Poles could still join the Coalition and talk about vice-ministerial positions.
According to the Central Electoral Commission, Social Democrats will have 38 seats in the new Seimas, Labour Party – 29, Order and Justice - 11. The three parties will have a ruling majority of 78 out of overall 141 seats.
The newly formed coalition will replace the current government led by Conservatives that implemented strict austerity policy. Although Social Democrats promise to ease austerity, political analysts believe that they will after all abide the fiscal discipline.
Soundbite (Lithuanian)
Algirdas Butkevicius, leader of Social Democrats:
Labour Party's leader maintains that the opinion that has been formed about their Party is improper. So I think they will have now an opportunity to prove it by way of nominating persons who will act responsibly when they assume office. I think that we will definitely find a consensus, and I can guarantee that there will be no influence on law enforcement institutions. More of the meeting
Soundbite (Lithuanian)
Viktor Uspaskich, leader of the Labour Party:
With all due respect to the President, I do wish that our opinions would not be in conflict, but according to the Constitution, formation of the Government is a prerogative of Seimas, without the advice of the President. That is the case. But Algirdas (Algirdas Butkevicius) today rose the issue that we, nevertheless, have to take into account President's opinion. We heard it and we agreed that so be it as the President says. Speaker of the Parliament has to be aboveboard transparent.
Soundbite (Lithuanian)
Waldemar Tomaszewski, leader of the Electoral Action of Poles:
We have discussed the terms on which we could join the coalition. (Reporter asks about those terms) Terms have to be equal to those that apply to the Order and Justice Party. (Reporter asks if that means two Ministries) We haven’t talked about Ministries yet, but terms have to be equal. We don't know what the situation in talks is, but it is obvious to everyone that conditions cannot be less favourable than those applying to Order and Justice, because we have a similar number of seats.
