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If these amendments to the Constitution are approved, it would allow President Rolandas Paksas, who was indicted in 2004, to run again not only for the Seimas, but also for the office of president.
Alerts received
It is proposed to establish that a person removed by impeachment may, at least ten years after the impeachment, perform other functions specified in the Constitution, the beginning of which is related to taking the oath provided for in the Constitution. No further conditions are proposed.
In 2011, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the current ban on lifetime participation in the Seimas elections for the dissolved president Paksas was disproportionate. Without in any way adopting constitutional amendments that would open the way for R. Paksas to the elections, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, which oversees the execution of judicial decisions in Strasbourg, has applied the so-called enhanced supervision procedure to Lithuania. .
Evaluated two options
Ieva Pakarklytė, member of the Committee of the Future and representative of the Freedom Party for the portal lrytas.lt stated that the decision on the wording in the committee was taken unanimously, therefore, in the opinion of I. Pakarklytė, the votes of 94 parliamentarians necessary for the amendment of the Constitution will be collected.
According to her, two variants of amendments were considered in the committee, but the first, which provided that a person could run for the position of member of the Seimas only after a political trial, was quickly rejected.
According to I. Pakarklytė, the second option, the possibility of running for all posts requiring an oath, seemed more fair in a broad sense.
“That decision was taken unanimously by all political groups. Our group has also supported the second option, which covers all responsibilities. Only the period was discussed, perhaps it could be longer, to reach 15 years, but still it has not been decided, ”said I. Pakarklytė.
When the project is registered, according to Freedom Party, it will be clearer next week. “We are very pressured by the deadlines for the sanctions already planned by the ECHR against Lithuania. It was not possible to find that consensus before, I am glad that we have achieved it now,” said the Seimas member.
He took a more moderate stance
Jurgis Razma, the first elder MP from the Lithuanian National Union-Christian Democrats (TS-LKD) faction, said conservatives had taken a more cautious stance on the issue, but would agree to a broader definition to resolve the issue. trouble.
“In the past, we have taken a more cautious approach, limiting ourselves to what the European Court of Human Rights requires: allowing the candidacy for Seimas. However, if this story continues, it is likely that our group will not oppose or support the possibility. broader to allow a person who has taken an oath after ten years to run for any position that requires an oath. ” lrytas.lt J.Razma spoke.
“We have discussed it in the group, there were no objections. Apparently, this will be reflected in the votes, “he added.
Trust the citizens
J.Razma does not rule out that the bill can be registered and presented to the Seimas for a vote in this session.
Algirdas Sysas, the senior of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP) faction in the Seimas, said the Social Democrats would support the amendment; they wanted to finally solve this problem.
“It seems to me that we are ashamed of Europe, they are suing us and soon they are going to fine us. We have a place to spend the money, we do not have to pay fines for not complying with our law,” said A. Sys.
“We do not demand that he (R. Paksas – aut. past.) could not be president, because I believe that citizens must be trusted and that all citizens should have the same rights. He had already paid for his misconduct, he was the only one in Europe who had been charged and lost his job. After a while, a person can be hopeful and succeed or not, let’s leave it to the voters, “added the Social Democrat.
Representative of the Labor Party Ieva Kačinskaitė-Urbonienė lrytas.lt stated that the group had no objections to the wording of the amendment.
“We have discussed the need to implement the ruling of the Constitutional Court. The only question we have is 10 or 15 years. In principle, the last 15 years. Probably a 10-year period would be enough for a break, ”said I. Kačinskaitė-Urbonienė.
The worker considered that the registration of the project would be carried out together with other changes in the elections, but, according to her, more discussions should arise in the Seimas on the definition of the future role of the mayor.
You must not part with important positions until death.
Zigmantas Balčytis, representative of the Lithuanian Regional Group, for the portal lrytas.lt He said the proposal to allow him to return to important state duties after impeachment would be welcome.
“We will continue to consider the common position in the group, but I do not believe that a person can be separated from political life until death.” And ten or fifteen years, there is not much difference, time is running out quickly, “said Z.Balčytis.
He also said that he supported the fact that after impeachment one person could run for all the top positions in the country; otherwise, it would also be contrary to the Constitution.
“If you allow one to go where one oath is taken and not another, it would be contrary to both the Constitution and the basic principles of the European Union,” explained a member of the regional Seimas faction.
Guoda Burokienė, the elderly MP from the Lithuanian Green and Peasant Union (LVŽS) faction, stressed that people should have another chance to participate in the life of the state.
It was also the interpretation of the European Court of Human Rights. There is no final decision yet, but for approval, we will definitely support it, ”said G. Burokienė.
According to her, 10 years is a sufficient period of time after which it is possible to return to the highest positions in the state.
“However, the Constitution is our basic document. But now, as we can see, many things are being solved,” said a member of the LVŽS faction.
MPs demonstrate unity
Raimundas Lopata, head of the Seimas Future Committee and member of the Liberal Movement faction, assured the lrytas.lt portal that he currently supports the proposals of the entire Seimas faction.
“Perhaps there is an easy discussion about the year – the fact that it will be at least 10 years, but there may be 12 or maybe even 15. Some members of the Seimas tend to consider, but most agree with this wording that in minus 10 years ”, explained R. Lopata.
According to him, this decision could take effect in a maximum period of one and a half years.
If we can register and present in June, it will be early next year. If autumn is a matter of a year or a year and a half ”, commented the head of the Future Committee.
R. Paksas was removed from the post of president in 2004 and since then he cannot be elected head of the country or a member of the Seimas. The Constitutional Court recognized that R. Paksas had broken his oath and had seriously violated the Constitution by exceptionally granting Lithuanian citizenship to his financial sponsor Yuri Borisov.
The court has clarified that a person who has lost his position through impeachment cannot live in a position that requires a constitutional oath. According to him, to modify this provision, it is necessary to modify the Constitution.
