Coalition Bargaining Minefield: The Biggest Trap Is Not Job Division, It’s Real Goals

On Thursday, the Freedom Party submitted proposals for a coalition agreement and program. It consists of 5 priority areas and 160 detailed public policy topics.

The Liberal Movement also made its proposals public. The document identifies 8 areas for which specific proposals are made.

Portrait of a minister

The three parties in the ruling coalition are behaving differently due to the desired ministerial portfolio. Specifically, only the Liberal Movement has identified desires as priorities in the areas of the Ministries of Economy and Innovation, Environment and Education, Science and Sports.

Aušrinė Armonaitė, president of the Freedom Party, did not provide a specific list.

And the candidate for prime minister I. Šimonytė with the participation on Wednesday Delphi In the program “Conversation with Daiva Žeimyte-Biliene”, he stated that even the Minister of Health does not have to be a doctor.

“In my opinion, it is not necessary for the Minister of Health to be a doctor, or for the Minister of Education to be an educator, or for the Minister of Agriculture to be a farmer. It seems to me that other competencies are more important, related to the management of processes, knowledge of the system, knowledge of system problems and the ability to assume political responsibility ”, the politician pointed out to the necessary characteristics of the minister.

But neither were specific desired ministries named.

The parliamentarian also emphasized that the ministers would not be protected simply by being “theirs.”

“If on the road the work of the Government were given in such a way that someone’s reputation would fluctuate in a very significant way, as was the case with this Government. We won’t really cover those people just because they are “knowledgable.” The concept of political responsibility would not be theoretical, we will not say that until the court says otherwise, it is not guilty. And respecting what we demand of the current government, we would adhere to other standards of political ethics, “said the parliamentarian.

Conservative Party representative I. Šimonytė emphasized that she would like to see political morality included even in the coalition agreement.

In a press release issued by TS-LKD on Thursday, party chairman Gabrielius Landsbergis said he expected the joint text to be agreed early next week.

And the names of potential ministers have been announced until the first session of the new Seimas, in mid-November.

He knows it won’t be easy

V. Valentinavičius, associate professor and political scientist at Mykolas Romeris University (MRU), assured that the candidate for prime minister has an excellent understanding of the risks and the nature of work; After job division, you may be dissatisfied.

“I think I. Šimonytė perfectly understands all these difficulties. She spoke about this on the one hand and said that the issue is paramount, the parties will be offered and everything is a matter of agreement. She never said it would be easy. She has not been in politics since the first year and he knows it won’t be easy, ”he said.

The political scientist assured that the candidates for minister, as has already been made clear, must be capable in factual and political terms.

“On the other hand, their criteria are very clear: ministers must be competent and capable, in factual and political terms, of the issue.” (…) It seems to me that the future Prime Minister understands these things quite well ”. Delphi said V. Valentinavičius.

Asked whether the division of ministerial portfolios would not cause a fire within the party itself, the interlocutor V. Valentinavičius assured that the problem lies elsewhere.

“I believe that the much greater danger is not posed by the specific candidacies, but by what we heard in the first days: the fiscal radicalism of the liberal parties. Immediately they began to speak of tax cuts, in parallel to the agreement on education and its financing If the liberal parties continue to take that position, then here is the question of the square of the circle: it is never resolved. And also the president, who says that we will build a welfare state and that taxes cannot be raised. This is a complete nonsense, “he said.

Political scientist V. Valentinavičius stated that statements by representatives of some liberal forces immediately after the elections directly indicate that the interest of big business is being defended.

“They want to cut taxes at all costs. Again, it would be very helpful for the public to understand that all this language and lobbying by big business goes against the idea of ​​a welfare state. Because it reduces the resources with which to educational and health reforms can be carried out in every rule ”, emphasized the interlocutor.

The political scientist stressed that the main problem will be to find a balance and balance between the three parties.

Conservatives shouldn’t cross

As the three parties manage to agree on a very sensitive issue: same-sex couples or even the legalization of marriage, the Liberal Movement supports the association and the Freedom Party supports the marriage. And within the Homeland Union, this proposal is evaluated ambiguously.

V. Valentinavičius did not see the scheduled conflict here either. According to the interviewee, there are much more important issues at the moment.

“I think that all the so-called Christian issues are secondary to budget and financial issues, reforms in key areas. It seems to me that finances are much more important to liberals right now than association law. There is no need for an urgent solution to this problem, “he said.

When asked if, after all, the National Union would include this clause in a cooperation agreement during the coalition negotiations, it would not cause a revolt within the faction. Because, according to V. Valentinavičius, the Christian flank is not so possible.

“There are relatively few of them left in the Union of the Krikdem Fatherland, which was called the Taliban. We can count – Audronius Ažubalis, Laima Andrikienė appeared, perhaps Vilija Aleknaitė – Ambramikienė, among the youngest – Laurynas Kasčiūnas. Do you see what their weight is in the current National Union? (…) It is not the case that after ranking everyone jumped to the top of the party and changed leadership, they were not, ”said V. Valentinavičius.

At the same time, the interlocutor stated that the influence of these politicians in the party is quite limited. And this allows I. Šimonyte to negotiate a coalition with strong party support.

“At least for the moment, it seems that Gabriel Landsbergis, as party chairman, manages the party quite effectively. And I. Šimonytė can clearly feel calm from the side that there is support. And he doesn’t need to think about his back,” said the MRU political scientist V. Valentinavičius.

Delphi recalls that after the Seimas elections that ended on Sunday, the TS-LKD, the Liberal Movement and the Union for Freedom announced a center-right coalition at war.

In the new parliament, these parties should have at least 74 votes out of 141.