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Political scientist Rima Urbonaitė and communication expert Arijus Katauskas discussed the Freedom Party, its proposals and its future in the relevant talk program “Dienas pjūvis”.
Are you not standing up to the fallen government?
Mykolas Romeris University (MRU) political scientist Rima Urbonaitė said the success of the fall elections made members of the Freedom Party turn their heads a bit.
“It just came to our attention then mixture, when you have received that power, but now you still have to deal with what you have received, to align your actions. And everyone wants everything fast here and now, and soon it doesn’t come here and now. This is not the case with politics. I see such a slight chaos, “admitted the political scientist.
As R. Urbonaitė observes, the electoral program of the Freedom Party was not only about cannabis or LGBT issues, the Liberals prepared one of the largest programs among all the parties. However, according to the interlocutor, the Freedom Party is currently focusing on some specific issues and there is a distraction in its actions.
“But it is probably natural, because it is not easy to operate for such a new, fresh party, which is not completely aligned,” said R. Urbonaitė.
The liberals got caught
Although the Freedom Party program covered many areas, liberals at the beginning of their term focused on some issues that are the subject of much debate in the public sphere. According to R. Urbonaitė, this is due to the fact that the electoral campaign itself focused largely on these issues.
“The Freedom Party has been caught in such traps. According to the main leitmotifs of the campaign, we even criticized at the same time whether it would not be a party of two or three questions. Then we looked at the document and it was really wide.
However, how many people have read that document? And here’s the question that the show is broad, but what level of awareness does the public have about that show? I have many doubts here. Because the Freedom Party itself communicated at the same time, in terms of the main line of communication, quite narrowly. And now he is in that corner ”, reasoned R. Urbonaitė.
R. Urbonaitė points out that although some of the Freedom Party’s proposals are controversial, they entered the Seimas accompanied by such controversy, and these issues are their “raisins.” The political scientist recalled that the Freedom Party did not raise even 10% of the multi-member electorate. Voter votes.
“It is important to realize that these issues are controversial because a large part of society views them in a very, very crooked way. That thing has not gone anywhere, only now has it thickened, has come to light, but the Freedom Party cannot go back from where it started. I would think here that they should not do the same, because they have that 8% against them. The voters will also have to justify themselves, which is why they backed down.
The question is not what you do, but how you do it. Here is the “how”, I think, they are putting a lot of foot in them right now, because the implementation of the whole program today covid the situation, elementary speaking, does not even exist. But those key issues were on the agenda and I think it should stay. The only problem is “how” is it done, “said R. Urbonaitė.
The opponents are much stronger than before
Communication expert Arijus Katauskas stated that the lack of experience not only in politics, but also in such a level of communication is determined by the fact that members of the Freedom Party have never received as much attention as at the beginning of their term.
According to the interlocutor, most of the liberals came to the Seimas from those areas where decisions are made faster and public attention is built in a different way.
“What could have been done quickly, say in the municipality of Vilnius or other municipalities, is that the processes in the Seimas are slower, the resistance is greater”, analyzed A. Katauskas.
In his opinion, for these reasons, representatives of the Freedom Party sometimes withdraw from their initiatives, they do not communicate them well.
“Now we see, on the one hand, the chaos, the chaos that is in the communication itself, but it is also determined by the fact that the opponents have different hair this time. They are stronger, they know how to attack, they know how to work political communication with much more force than before, ”said A. Katauskas.
Don’t you think your projects will be accepted?
For a significant part of its projects, such as the legalization of an association or a hate speech project, the Freedom Party starts talking long before the laws are signed. A. Katauskas has the impression that no one even expects these laws to be passed.
“These laws are more, I think, for the formation of the image of the party itself”, is convinced A. Katauskas.
According to the interviewee, this communication is not intended to attract neutral or skeptical voters. A. Katauskas believes that the Freedom Party is trying to mobilize its electorate and strengthen itself so as not to be humiliated in public space.
“It was a communication with the voters of the party itself, showing that we are really doing what we promised. <...> It seems to me that the party is playing with him to shrink or win more support in society before taking any real action.
Those actions that are taking place now, are not destined <...> for those laws to pass. They are designed so that the party itself becomes so strong that it does not receive such a crush in public space for the second time, ”said A. Katauskas.
However, the Freedom Party does not treat all their ideas in the same way. Liberals have withdrawn from fines for hate speech but still stand in the way of association or decriminalization of soft drugs.
“Is it a kind of offer of reverence and compromise for the opposing side, would it be in the coalition or would it be in the opposition? <...> Rather, it seems to me that these are political games about the presence of the party in the coalition and its importance in the coalition.
That is why we have withdrawn from it. [klausimo], which was not a cornerstone and did not stand out during the electoral campaign. Deviating from what was forged in the fall, as the main thing the game will do, would be a real recognition that it will not be possible to do the things that he promised to do, “said A. Katauskas.
Sparks of Discord won’t go to scrap because everyone wants to stay in power
In the coalition treaty, Liberals, Conservatives, and Liberals agreed to disagree on some issues. R. Urbonaitė stated that in some cases the Freedom Party appears to be alone, that it is not actually easy to manage and that it must also be under pressure from the coalition partners.
An example is the fierce criticism of Audronius Ažubalis to Evelina Dobrovolska for the law on national minorities or some criticism of the same association about the same association.
“I really wouldn’t see it as a very normal process. I think those questions are here more than they should be. Those sparks of this type have been seen and seen intensifying lately.
But can it become a kind of junk? For the moment, I maintain a reserved position that at that level, that spark will persist, because everyone wants to remain in that power, ”reasoned R. Urbonaitė.
According to A. Katauskas, the Conservatives and the Freedom Party drew red lines quite early, which could lead to conflict. However, according to the interlocutor, looking at the people causing conflict, the spark between the coalition partners can only be called an easy dispute.
“So far, we really don’t see the really heavyweights going into public orbit and attacking the coalition partners from the highest positions of the other party’s leadership.” This particular place is the transmission of the message from one part to another through the public space, that here is a red line, it will not be so easy to change some attitudes here ”, said A. Katauskas.
However, there may be sparks in the future not only among the coalition partners, but also within the Freedom Party itself.
“The larger the circle of challenges for the Freedom Party, the more the range of challenges will expand, the more pressure will be exerted from various groups in society, the more likely there will be such conflicts.” If you see that the situation is deteriorating in the general game, it is natural that some friction may actually occur in the interior ”, said R. Urbonaitė.
According to the political scientist, when parties face challenges, “tectonic plates” often begin to move within them and cracks can arise in the unity of political power.
“We will see if the party can avoid it. <...> The preconditions for internal disagreements or conflicts may increasingly emerge. Everything is fine when it is fine. When it’s wrong, then the interesting part begins. I would not rule out that even now there are at least some internal disputes, I am not saying that there may be conflicts, but there may be more serious disputes, ”said R. Urbonaitė.
There are two threats to the future of the Freedom Party
This is the first term in the Seimas for the Freedom Party. Some political novices took longer to establish themselves on the political map of the country (Labor Party, Order and Justice), and some ended their existence after the first term or even before its end (Resurrection Party, Way of Courage).
According to R. Urbonaitė, two aspects must be assessed to assess whether the Freedom Party will consolidate on the political map. The first aspect is how the party itself will organize its activities, the establishment of chapters, how many Liberals will they be able to retain their people, how much they will be able to attract new members.
“So that it is a stable and sufficiently active party formation,” said the political scientist.
According to R. Urbonaitė, the future of the Freedom Party will depend on the general situation in general.
“And the general situation is that kovidas the chances of these rulers being reelected, and perhaps reelected to reform the ruling coalition in 2024, burn with each passing day.
The Freedom Party can also become hostage to the general situation, when because of what is happening with the struggle, with its management, with the entire pandemic, you simply do not have the opportunity to leave dry, “said the interlocutor.
For these reasons, according to R. Urboaitė, we have the Freedom Party in 2024. We can see a significant weakening. However, according to the political scientist, it is still difficult to say who will be more affected by the Freedom Party: their own activities or the coronavirus situation.
“It just came to our attention then. But on the other hand, to say now that this will be a single electoral party, I certainly would not dare. It still has every chance of becoming a normal parliamentary party,” said R. Urbonaitė.
For a full conversation about the Freedom Party, see the “Section of the Day” entry at the top of the article.
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