1.8 million to pay to “employees” before the elections. The euro has raised many questions: both the rulers, the opposition and the CEC are surprised

ELTA recalls that the Labor Party requested the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) in 2018 to return unpaid subsidies. However, he declared that the Labor Party, 2004-2006. By providing false financial data, he committed serious violations of the law and retroactively changed the CEC’s previous grant decisions.

However, the Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania (SACL) in 2019. In April, the CEC reversed the decision, arguing that the decisions could not be changed retroactively, and ordered the repayment of pending grants. The government decided to allocate funds to the Labor Party almost a year later, in 2020. on July 1.

It was the fact that the decision to reimburse the amount of 1,840,054 euros just a few months before the Seimas elections raised a series of questions for politicians, whose forces will be able to wait for the closest state subsidies only after autumn, that is , after the elections.

Politicians not only call it a bizarre and paradoxical decision to return unpaid grants to a party that has been convicted of corruption and changed its legal status, but also wonder why this is the time when any grant of exclusive opportunities to a part is accompanied by public suspicions.

Some argue that conspiracy theories cannot be ruled out, that rulers have deliberately chosen pre-election time to implement a court decision made a year ago to pay for unpaid subsidies. Others say they have little doubt that it is a gift to “workers” who return to the political arena and can play an important role in shaping the ruling majority.

Governors also have questions about the “workers” account that was added just before the election. According to Agnė Širinskienė, a peasant, it is strange that the government led by Saulius Skvernelis chose to “settle accounts” with the “workers” at the time.

CEC President: We have just implemented the Government’s decision

Laura Matjošaitytė, chair of the Central Electoral Commission (CEC), also admits that the decision to return “unpaid” subsidies to “employees” a decade ago in the context of the Seimas elections is a source of tension.

According to her, it is still difficult to assess whether the amounts transferred to the “employees” will affect the results of the Seimas elections or not. Perhaps, technically speaking, it makes little difference whether the money will come to the party sooner or later. According to her, the party, knowing that she will recover the money awarded after the court decision, can borrow the respective amounts without much trouble.

However, the CEC president agrees that the context in which the decision was made does not seem pleasant.

“Of course, this situation seems to raise many questions, first of all, why this issue is being addressed now. But the CEC took technical action and did so when the problem was presented to us,” he said, stressing that the chosen time was responsibility of the Government and not of the CCA.

The commission, says L. Matjošaitytė, is only implementing the resolution adopted by the government on July 1. It was on this day that the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal of the Ministry of Finance to allocate that amount from the Government Reserve to the Labor Party for the implementation of judicial decisions.

“It was not the Central Electoral Commission that made the decision and the non-CEC found 1.8 million euros, the non-CEC loaned those funds.” This was a relevant decision made by the Government of Lithuania, “he emphasizes.
Meanwhile, representatives of the Ministry of Finance affirm that the proposal was presented to the Cabinet of Ministers on May 4. after receiving a request from the CEC for 1.84 million allocation of funds for grants from the Labor Party. However, according to L. Matjošaitytė, this was only a formal action by the commission, and the letter discussed and agreed by CEC members more reminded of the revision of the long history of the “worker grant” and the position that the process could no longer be delayed.

“The process is delayed, the commission had many cases with the Labor Party, (…) the commission, for its part, did everything in its power, and our decisions, both retrospectively and in the future, show that everything has been proven, what was possible. The situation remained as it is, “said L. Matjošaitytė.

“Now the CEC has absolutely no legal basis to delay this process and seek other solutions, to wait for another case in court,” said L. Matjošaitytė, taking into account that the Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania has reversed the CEC decision. . suspended payment of grants to the Labor Party trial in 2007 and 2008. The SACL based its decision on the fact that the CEC cannot change its previous decisions, which have already approved grants to the parties. These unpaid grants have been challenged in court by ‘workers’ since 2018.

Therefore, L. Matjošaitytė emphasized that in this situation there is a motivation for the CEC to allocate funds to “employees” just before the elections, in principle, it is not possible.

CEC member: no one was worth paying the grants before the election, the electoral context had to be evaluated
However, CEC member Aistė Žilinskienė claims that even though the CEC had no choice in this story not to implement the decision to return grants to “employees”, it was inappropriate to ignore the context of the next elections.

“The CEC must implement (decisions – ELTA) taking into account all the principles provided by law, and one of those principles is equality in the distribution of grants. You have to see the environment where you live. The parties are financed under the current budget laws. They get the money from our taxpayers, just before the elections … We also have to think about the circumstances in which the grant is being paid. The court decision was in 2019. in October. Now there are several months before the elections, the parties are competing, counting every euro and suddenly … Of course, the public is questioned when deciding to award a grant of this size to the Labor Party. This undoubtedly distorts competition in the next elections and raises questions about whether they will not have better conditions than other parties … It is necessary to find a balance of all circumstances, “said A. Žilinskienė to Eltai, stressing the urgency of making decisions on the return of Labor Party subsidies. , was not.

“If required as soon as possible, the court’s decision was made in October last year. If the court required it as soon as possible, it probably would not have been expected for almost a year,” summarized A. Žilinskienė.

Politicians are skeptical about the decision to return the grants, see political interests
Representatives of opposition parties and rulers agree that the repayment of subsidies could have been done differently. Some are optimistic about politics, while others emphasize the question of why citizens are already being asked to create exceptional financial conditions for ‘workers’.

Viktor Uspaskich, the leader of the Labor Party, agrees that the decision to return the funds a few months before the Seimas election is not appropriate. According to him, the issue of returning unpaid subsidies to the Labor Party, which took almost a year, should have been resolved much sooner.

The return of subsidies to “Dabians” is a legal paradox

Gintautas Paluckas, chairman of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP), calls the legal paradox the return of unpaid state subsidies to the Labor Party, which was condemned for “black bookkeeping” and changed its legal status.

“It is a lot of fun when a party, fleeing legal responsibility and becoming another legal entity, is rewarded with money that was not allocated to this legal entity, but to a completely different one. This is a legal paradox. But such gaps seem to exist. in our legal system, the Labor Party to which the subsidy may have belonged no longer exists, they re-registered it to avoid legal prosecution, “the leader of the LSDP was outraged.

Although the Social Democrat declared that he did not want to speculate or develop conspiracy theories, he did not hide that the decision to return the subsidies to the “workers” on the eve of the Seimas elections creates a certain visibility of political interests.

At the same time, he recalled 2018. The CEC’s decision on LSDP grants. Then, the commission’s verdict to recognize the LSDP after committing serious violations of the financing law during the Seimas 2016 election campaign cost the LSDP around 400 thousand. euros

“I don’t know if it was a deliberate attempt to weaken, but when that precedent is the same and then we act differently … but let’s bring it to consciousness,” Paluck explained.

A. Širinskienė, a “peasant”, was surprised by the government’s decision: she was not consulted
For his part, the “peasant” A. Širinskienė stated that the story of the nearly two million euros transferred to the Labor Party raises a number of questions, but should not be evaluated against the background of distorted political competition. According to her, at least for her party, which is proud of the work done, this is not relevant. However, one of the ruling leaders did not hide the fact that the government should explain why the money came to the “workers” bill at such a politically sensitive time.

“I understand that the court decision being tried to use to return the money to the Labor Party was made in the middle of last year. So I am amazed why the decisions (return of money – ELTA) were not made immediately, but were awaited the election period, which is sensitive for the Lithuanian people and all parties. Trials are generally enforced immediately. So this is a question for the Government, because there was no consultation or coordination with us as a faction of the Seimas, “said the politician.

According to her, the fact that the money was allocated to the Labor Party before the elections was suspicious for people, especially in the regions.

“The situation really seems ambiguous, in the regions we really have questions about why the return was made just before the elections,” said A. Širinskienė.

“It is questionable why the decision was made before the elections and not before. Just because of the visibility, how people react to such a decision,” said the politician, adding that the methods of operation of the Labor Party during the electoral campaign also raise doubts.

“I see more problems in the other actions of the Labor Party, in the” ice rain “prepared by its leader, where there really are signs of voter bribery,” he added.

V. Čmilytė-Nielsen: we do not look at the money from other parts, but we would like equal conditions

Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, the leader of the Lithuanian Liberal Movement, is the worst of the money that has come to the Labor parties. She told Elta that she did not investigate the affairs and wallets of other parties. According to her, if wrong decisions were made regarding the Labor Party, they should be corrected.

“For our part, we try not to look to the side … Of course, large sums of money before the election is a boost.” The election requires funds, but first of all, you look at your opportunities and not look at your competitors, ”he told Eltai and, recalling the cut in state subsidies for liberals, emphasized the desire for equal opportunities for all parties.

“I only want one thing: that we do not have double standards. In its time, the Liberal Movement was also deprived of a significant portion of the subsidy. I only wish that all political parties can expect the same standards,” said the liberal.

Conservative J. Razma saw political interests: rulers want to attract “workers”
Meanwhile, the conservative Jurgis Razma was more inclined to talk about intentional motives when evaluating the issue of the money that had come to the “workers”, that is, now, before the elections, to pay money. And in doing so, conservatives were reluctant to use the term “conspiracy theory”.

According to him, the political interests of the “peasants” are almost obvious in the history of money returned to the Labor Party.
“I am a little surprised that the government has found the full amount of money so quickly and that the Labor Party has received almost $ 2 million.” Euros Especially when the Minister of Finance talks about the problems related to the preparation of next year’s budget, about the fact that the Maastricht criteria can be addressed … And in this context, the money is found very quickly. The impression is that current rulers are very eager for the Labor Party to have that money and use it in elections. This could be an effort to attract “workers” to the coalition and help them get as many seats as possible. So the question arises how the government found that money so easily. Isn’t it the case that the political interest is the main engine, “reasoned the politician.

Razma also said he saw the logic why it was decided to return unpaid state subsidies to “employees” just before the Seimas elections and not before the municipal elections.

“I think according to our political system, the Seimas elections are incomparably more important. And when that money is concentrated in the Seimas elections, it may be a hidden political interest of the ‘green peasants’. They did not care at all that the Labor Party will perform well in the European Parliament or in the municipal elections. They design the “workers” as members of the coalition, therefore their interest is very clear, “summed up the elderly deputy of the TS-LKD faction in the Seimas.

V. Uspaskich is outraged: there are questionable manifestations of the rule of law

The president of the Labor Party, V. Uspaskich, does not hide the joy of having already received the money ordered by the court. According to the politicians, about 2 million euros will not only be used for the elections, but at the same time the debts will be covered, part of the money will go to the maintenance of the party structures.

However, V. Uspaskich, who has once again assumed command of the party, does not consider the solid sums received to be an essential factor before the Seimas elections.

“Without this money, we would still find it and finance the electoral campaign,” said the politician.

In response to speeches by political rivals that the Labor Party has had exceptional opportunities in the upcoming parliamentary elections, V. Uspaskich emphasizes the damage his party has already suffered as a result of decisions by state institutions to legitimize judicial decisions .
“The money was transferred to us exceptionally late, it had to be transferred before the municipal elections and the European Parliament,” said the president of the party accused of corruption, while raising the question of whether Lithuania remains a state-governed state. of law.

“There are dubious manifestations of the rule of law. The rule of law must, immediately after a court decision, carry out the things specified by the court. But the public authorities do not. If it does not, then the state cannot be called a democratic legal state, “said V. Uspaskich.

The “workers” who recover in the run-up to the elections are no longer the “red line” for other parties
The Labor Party, accused of “black accounting” even before 2016, Seimas elections were on the “black lists” of “peasant” leaders as a party with which the formation of a coalition is said to be impossible. However, the situation is already different before the autumn elections.

As the “workers” led by Uspaskich show signs of an opportunity to return to the political arena, the leaders of the parliamentary party are no longer drawing red lines in this political force.

Only the conservative J. Razma made it clear to the politicians interviewed by Elta that cooperation with the Labor Party would be avoided.

“Personally, I would like to avoid a coalition with the Labor Party. Only very special circumstances can force such connections to be considered. But we have to see the position of our voters, and our voter is critical of the Labor Party and we cannot ignore his opinion, “said the politician.
The conservative argued that the review of the political situation prepared for the leadership of the TS-LKD and published by Elta in July, whose scenarios repeatedly emphasize that conservatives could form a ruling majority not only with ideological opponents, the Social Democrats, but should not be emphasized. also to return to the Seimas. match.

“These are theoretical considerations and it is not a strategy to reach a governing coalition. Therefore, I do not emphasize the theoretical model and I very much doubt if our voters would like to see such a connection with the Labor Party,” summarized J. Razma.

LSDP leader: I’m not a pope to say something is always wrong

Meanwhile, according to the LSDP president, whether the Social Democrats could cooperate with the Labor Party would only be decided after the elections. According to G. Paluck, voters evaluate political forces according to their suitability.
“The situation is very simple: in politics, everyone is on the run and justified by the electorate. If voters think that one or the other political force can represent them, they make decisions.” Everyone weighs like heaven at the gates of San Pedro , just like during the elections, “said the politician.

“If they (Labor Party – ELTA) are in the Seimas and have the public’s trust, then we will see what they have written in the programs, whether something can be molded or not. I am not Pope or Saint Peter to say that one is always bad and the other is always good. Sometimes we get caught up in our imaginations, “reasoned G. Paluck.

A. Širinskienė, one of the leaders of the “peasants”, when asked about the possibilities of forming a coalition with the “workers” after the elections, also spoke about the fact that there are no eternally bad parties.

“When the time comes, if there is so much voter will that the LVŽS will have so many seats in the Seimas that it can form a ruling coalition, then everything will be valued,” said A. Širinskienė, and, as leader of the LSDP, made it clear that the law enforcement party must have a second chance.
The fact that the red lines regarding the possible formation of the ruling coalition do not have to be drawn until the votes of the voters have been counted, V. Čmilytė-Nielsen also stated.

“Neither major party draws red lines before the elections. It is irrational,” he said. According to the liberal leader, the leading party, if it is already talking about forming a ruling majority, will follow two standards: it will give priority to the center-right coalition and the implementation of the party’s formulations.

“The most likely solution for the Liberal Movement would be a center-right coalition. It would be easier to agree in this field, but other scenarios are possible,” the liberal explained when asked how he would evaluate the possibilities of cooperating with the “employees” in the ruling majority.