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From May 3-9, the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP) will begin its election. Four candidates were nominated in the first round: Vilija Blinkevičiūtė and Juozas Olekas MEPs, political scientist Liutauras Gudžinskas and Akmenė district mayor Vitalijus Mitrofanovas.
None of these candidates has yet been a leader of the LSDP.
Party divisions also nominated candidates for former LSDP president Gintautas Paluckas, Jonava Mayor Mindaugas Sinkevičius and the Union of Social Democratic Women, members of the Seimas Orinta Leiputė. These politicians refused to run for the LSDP leadership elections.
Closer to the person
Political scientists unanimously agree that the Socdem is in dire need of change, and the first step towards that could be a new leader. Because at this moment, when nobody is at the wheel of the party, the party is divided and there is no clear hierarchy in it, says Lauras Bielinis, professor and political scientist at Vytautas Magnus University.
According to him, the most important thing now is that the person who can land the closest wins the elections.
“It does not matter who wins, but it is important that the party needs a man, a leader who is capable of taking on ordinary parties. Being able to really discover the connection of the center with the mass of the party. Because it is one of the biggest parties in Lithuania and it has even more fans. But little by little they are moving away from the Socdems.
Therefore, we need a leader who is able to speak and communicate in a really lively and persuasive way, who cooperates with the common parties and the public, ”L. Bielinis told tv3.lt.
He notes that recent party leaders have paid more attention to communicating with parties in the Seimas and have left ordinary party members on the sidelines.
And so the party weakened not because the clear dividing lines disappeared, but because ordinary parties were tired of being on the sidelines. And it is natural. They just made them indifferent even to their party. In my head, this is the main requirement or quality that would be very useful for a future leader: to be closer to a person ”, the professor considered.
It also has the support of Vytautas Dumbliauskas, associate professor and political scientist at Mykolas Romeris University. He cites former US President Donald Trump as an example of a politician who communicated “closer to the man,” albeit perhaps in a caimotic way.
Why did Trump win in 2016? Because he spoke in a language that people could understand. It is not necessary to be a cham, like Trumpas, he lied all the time, but it is possible to speak a language close to people and be polite and correct, ”said V. Dumbliauskas on tv3.lt.
More energy and youth
V. Dumbliauskas’s answer to the question of what kind of leader Socdems need is brief: Aušrinė Armonaitė. Or rather, like her. The political scientist is convinced that only a young man will be able to resurrect the party from stagnation.
“It just came to our attention then. Let’s see who leads the other parties. The Liberal Movement did it wisely, changing leaders and recovering in some way. Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen is a young woman, intelligent, understanding, very discreet and very calm.
Maybe the Socdems need a more militant man. The party needs a leader, because now the situation is that only the leader can rise, because within the party it is not going to erode. The leader is the flag ”, said V. Dumbliauskas.
In his opinion, the most ideal candidate for the leaders of the Social Democrats at this time would be the mayor of Jonava Mindaugas Sinkevičius. Otherwise, according to V. Dumbliauskas, no matter which party he chooses, nothing significant will change.
“In my head, Mindaugas Sinkevičius made a mistake. He would be the best candidate. He is young, intelligent, he has energy. They would need him now, but this is his choice.
In that case, I think the Socdems are still … They have lost the big cities. They need cities to recover. Both parties now have issues that are just sad to see. In this case, I think nothing special will happen, no matter what you choose, “predicted the political scientist.
None fit
Unfortunately, V. Dumbliauskas does not think that at least one of the four candidates for the presidency of the LSDP is capable of resuscitating the party.
„V. I do not fully know Mitrofanov, it would be difficult to say. But he remains a politician of local importance, unknown at the national level. That alone is bad.
Liutauras Gudžinskas – I know him as a student and as my ex. He is a very intelligent man, but he is a scientist, a serious scientist. And yet possibly one day [pirmininku], but not now ”, considered V. Dumbliauskas.
And Olek, who is 66, seems too old for a political scientist to significantly renew the party.
“You have to write scrapbooks, let the youth. Olek won’t help the party, he certainly won’t help. Sorry, we lost an amazing microsurgeon. Well, that was his choice, but now he really won’t make the party, “predicted V. Dumbliauskas.
Blinkevičiūtė’s opinion differs
Although L. Bielinis agrees with V. Dumbliauskas’s opinion that this year’s elections are not distinguished by brilliant candidates, his opinion differs with respect to a candidate. I am Vilija Blinkevičiūtė. According to L. Bielinis, it is V. Blinkevičiūtė who should be able to look back at ordinary party members.
“From what I see, it seems to me that V. Blinkevičiūtė has most of those qualities or opportunities to turn naturally towards the parts. I think partly these are his character traits, but partly perhaps he actually works by drawing wider party structures and masses.
After all, his speech is not as subjective as that of many politicians who become leaders. It also brings her closer to society and becomes warmer, her image is warmer, ”said the professor.
At the time, V. Dumbliauskas considered V. Blinkevičiūtė a policy that had already been forgotten, and said that she received the most support in 2000-2008 as Minister of Social Security and Labor.
“I loved her very much then, but now the generation has changed, the voters are changing. She has been sitting in Brussels for a long time, of course. V. Blinkevičiūtė is now very active, but still speaks in official words. Apparently, he learned political correctness in the European Parliament, ”commented MRU’s associate professor.
The president of the LSDP is elected by all party members for a two-year term. The LSDP leader will be directly elected for the third time. Until 2017, the LSDP presidents were elected at congresses.
The Social Democratic Party is the largest in Lithuania, bringing together more than 16.5 thousand. members.
The portal tv3.lt described in detail the colorful biographies of the candidates for the LSDP leaders from their greatest achievements to their most difficult moments.
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