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Matijošaitis: Going back to the old order would be a big step backwards
Kaunas Mayor Visvaldas Matijošaitis says direct mayoral elections best meet the needs of society.
“When I got to work in Kaunas, that’s why I agreed to participate in the direct mayoral elections, because I knew it would be a decision of the people themselves, not of the political parties. The city needed a real-time manager in this place like never before, not a talkative politician. Words alone will not achieve a good result, it is necessary to act ”, says V. Matijošaitis in a comment sent by Delfi.
According to him, the return to the old order, when the mayor was elected by the municipal councils, would not be useful.
“If Lithuania returns to the old electoral order, I am convinced that it would be a big step backwards,” added V. Matijošaitis.
Malinauskas thanks the “benefactors”
The Mayor of Druskininkai Municipality, Ričardas Malinauskas, expressed his support for direct mayoral elections and believes that this issue should be resolved legally.
“I cannot say what measures the politicians will take, if the politicians are interested in the opinion of the Lithuanian population, they should unequivocally change the Constitution after such a decision. After twenty years of discussions with the top, not so much a alternatively, “benefactors” appeared who went to the CC in search of clarifications, “lamented R. Malinauskas.
The mayor did not hide the fact that it is a stone in the greenhouse garden.
“Oh, what do you think they appealed against because they did not comply with the Constitution? They calculated that in each of these elections they lose about four mayoral positions, because they do not go out to negotiate, speculate, sell and thus gather the majority to become mayors, it is the trust and appreciation of the people who do not care ” , He said. R. Malinauskas.
In his opinion, politicians must bear in mind that it is the direct election of mayors that best expresses the will of the people.
“First of all, if the mayor is elected directly, then the people choose the person they trust and appreciate the most and who is the most acceptable. When there is a formation of the majority and then the division of positions, it is not the most accurate expression of the will of the people ”, evaluated R. Malinauskas.
Pinskuvienė: If conservatives care about people at least as much, the problem should be solved as soon as possible
The Širvintos district mayor, Živilė Pinskuvienė, also criticized her colleagues, saying that the parliament must now take amendments to the constitution as soon as possible.
“They are two years old. This means that the Seimas must take those amendments this spring, ”said Širvintos district mayor Delfi.
Mayor directly elected, according to Ž. Pinskuvienės is very important for the population.
“Let’s see what percentage of people come to the municipal elections, the people are very important in these elections, because they are important, the head of their city or district is chosen to work for them,” said the mayor of the Širvintos district.
At the same time, he stressed that this method of election is also important for the mayor himself.
“The mayor himself has a completely different responsibility towards the people, because they trusted you directly, you work for the people. How was it before?” The council elects the mayor and that mayor does not look at the interests of the people, he only looks the interests of the 20 council members who have us ”, Ž. Pinskuvienė.
According to her, there were cases of corruption in the old mayoral election procedure, and mayors were interested in responding only to the interests of councilors.
“We can take an infinite number of examples of the corrupt things that were happening: who won the tenders. If the conservatives have such a goal, they will definitely achieve it, but if they care at least a little about the Lithuanian people and their voice, their opinion. , this problem must be solved urgently ”, Ž. Pinskuvienė.
The mayor also pointed out that she herself is pleased to work when she has been directly elected by the residents of the district.
“I feel so much stronger because a 20-person routine chose me and sat me in this chair. For me, it is much more important, stronger and I act much bolder when I go, I present my show to people and 83 percent choose me. Residents of the Širvintos district. I think it’s very strong. That gives strength, energy, responsibility ”, Ž. Pinskuvienė.
KT: Direct elections are unconstitutional
The Constitutional Court (CC) has declared direct mayoral elections unconstitutional, but their mandate must end, BNS wrote.
The direct elections of mayors introduced in Lithuania six years ago are in conflict with the Constitution, the Constitutional Court (CC) announced on Monday.
“It should be noted that from the point of view of the law, direct elections of mayors, when they are elected by the municipal community, are possible only after reforming the Constitution,” the court stated.
This resolution of the CC will take effect on May 3, 2023, which is the end of the mandate of the now elected mayors.
“This means that the mayors of the municipalities elected in the 2019 elections (and later) will be able to hold their positions until the end of their mandate. However, in 2023, direct elections for mayors of municipalities will only be possible if the respective amendments to Article 119 of the Constitution have been made by then, ”the court said.
The CC also emphasized that when dealing with this case, it had not addressed the issue of the convenience of direct mayoral elections.
46 parliamentarians from the previous legislature, mostly conservatives, had asked the CC for the direct election of mayors, but among the signatories there were also several liberals, “workers”, former “ordained.”
They raised the question whether it was possible to legitimize direct elections for mayors in Lithuania without amending the Constitution.
The members of the Seimas had doubts as to whether the different method of electing the mayor and the members of the municipal council, the exclusive and broad competence of the directly elected mayor, partially interfering with the competence of the local government executive, is not contradicted. the single-level self-government system.
According to them, the Constitution does not distinguish between the members of the council, on the contrary, it establishes an equal legal regulation for all.
Direct mayoral elections in Lithuania were introduced in 2015. Municipal mayors have already been directly elected twice. In the past, mayors were elected by municipal councils.
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