Coalition partners who have begun to split seats are reluctant to reduce Seimas leadership: savings are possible elsewhere

On Monday morning, the presidents of the Lithuanian National Union-Christian Democrats (TS-LKD), the Liberal Movement and the Freedom Party signed signatures on the ruling coalition agreement..

Now the partners will sit down to share positions in the Seimas and the Government.

A new president of the Seimas and his deputies will be elected in the first session of the new legislature on Friday.

Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, president of the Liberal Movement, announced that she would like to run for the post of parliamentary leader immediately after the elections.

If this does not lead to disagreements between the partners of the new coalition, it is likely that V. Čmilytė-Nielsen will become the new president of the Seimas.

Especially since his candidacy is suitable for the Lithuanian Peasants and Greens Union (LVŽS), which will have the second largest parliamentary faction, but will work in opposition..

After the election of the president of Seimas, it will be decided who will be his alternates.

At present, the Statute of the Seimas stipulates that there are no more than 7 vice-presidents of Parliament.

Now there are six vice presidents of the Seimas. Two of them are members of the opposition.

In 2016, as soon as the legislature of this Seimas began, the maximum number of Vice-Presidents of Parliament was reduced from 7 to 5 at the initiative of the “peasants”.

This has been explained to save you a lot of money.

Reducing the number of vice-presidents of the Seimas was the idea of ​​the president of LVŽS Ramūnas Karbauskis.

Initially, he wanted Victor Francis to have only four deputies.

However, at the end of 2018, in order to strengthen their positions, the Statute of the Seimas was modified again by increasing the number of Vice Presidents of Parliament to 7.

At least two opposition representatives are also expected to be vice presidents of the Seimas.

The conservative Irena Degutienė and the liberal Jonas Liesys, representing the opposition, are now the vice-presidents of the Seimas.

Will discuss in coalition

According to the president of TS-LKD Gabrielius Landsbergis, the issue of vice presidents of the Seimas will be discussed in the coalition.

“Until an agreement is reached on the candidacy of the Seimas president, it is still too early to decide whether to comment on the positions of the Seimas vice presidents,” he said.

Landsbergis also explained that he had no doubt that the coalition would be guided by high standards of competence, political experience and transparency when deciding on specific candidates.

I don’t think the number should change

When asked whether the number of vice presidents of the Seimas will remain the same or if it should be reduced, Liberal Movement spokesman V. Čmilytė-Nielsen said that this is a question of negotiation, but not the most important one.

“The position of the president of Seimas today is one of the most important issues due to time constraints, waiting for the first session on Friday. And so far we have not specifically talked about the number of vice-presidents of Seimas. If you ask my opinion, It seems to me that today it is not worth changing. But again, this is the subject of negotiations between the coalition partners, “he said.

If you ask my opinion, it seems to me that today it is not worth changing. But, again, this is the subject of negotiations between the coalition partners.

According to V.Čmilytė-Nielsen, there are other ways to save money.

For example, reducing the number of commissions of the Seimas, which are said to be very numerous.

According to V. Čmilytė-Nielsen, whether the Liberal Movement will seek the post of vice president of parliament, as well as the question of negotiations with the coalition partners.

In his opinion, two seats of the vice-presidents of the Seimas should remain assigned to the opposition.

“I think the opposition should be represented normally on the board. It is important. At this point, at least with certainty I would consider that the necessary and rationally available tools for the opposition should be provided in parliament. Also – on the board”, – he stressed the possible candidate for Spokesperson of the Seimas.

At this point, at least with certainty I would consider that the necessary and rationally available tools for the opposition should be provided in parliament. Also on the board.

I’ll be in a larger context

Aušrinė Armonaitė, the president of the Freedom Party, said the number of vice presidents of the Seimas will not change.

He could not say what the Freedom Party would offer to vice presidents of parliament.

“I don’t know about the vice presidents. We need to put ourselves in a larger context: ministers and committees,” A. Armonaitė commented on Monday.

We need to put ourselves in a larger context: ministers and committees.

He hopes that possible candidates for the leadership of Seimas will be announced in the coming days.

It will present the shadow government and its program.

If the Statute of the Seimas is not modified and the opposition occupies two positions of vice-presidents of the Parliament, one of them could actually run for the LVŽS.

According to its leader R. Karbauskis, the “peasants” have not yet raised themselves, they have only discussed what they would delegate to this position.

“But there is no solution,” he said.

There is no solution.

LVŽS promises to decide on a potential candidate on Friday.

R. Karbauskis did not reveal which possible “campesino” candidates for the vice-presidency of the Seimas, nor whether he himself would run for these positions.

“I will not answer that question,” he said.

The Seimas opposition leader also works on the parliamentary board.

According to the Statute of the Seimas, if an opposition faction or its coalition has more than half of the parliamentarians belonging to a minority, its major or the leader of the coalition is called the opposition leader of the Seimas.

The political parties now working in the opposition have been at odds with the opposition leader Seimas for almost a year and a half.

Thanks to him, the Conservatives of Parliament, the Liberal Movement and the representatives of the Social Democrats delivered only March 2019.

V.Čmilytė-Nielsen, Socdem Julius Sabatauskas, held these positions and G.Landsbergis still holds them.

R. Karbauskis has not yet been able to say whether he will formalize relations with other political forces working in the opposition.

“We do not know at all if someone without us will be in the opposition. We do not know. In that sense, nobody has told us about it yet. We ourselves, of course, will initiate those conversations because, in principle, you yourself understand that it can happen the case where factions of other parties do not come out in opposition. And so it can be. Due to our determination, this is obvious. I heard something from Gintautas Paluck about it. I didn’t hear from the Labor Party. But maybe I just didn’t hear it As a result, I cannot answer how it will be there, if someone will formalize it or not, because we may be left alone. This is also a possible option, “he commented.

R. Karbauskis explained that the LUJS, which will work in the opposition, unlike the current opposition parties, will have a shadow cabinet of ministers, an alternative program of the Government.

“Never in the history of Lithuania has anyone had a shadow government program, for example. I can guarantee that we will, for sure. Like the shadow government, the shadow government program and everything the opposition has. What to do, we will certainly do it. Because we have the capacity to do that, I mean competencies, “said the peasant leader.

I can guarantee we will, for sure. As the shadow government, the shadow government program and everything the opposition has to do, we will certainly do it.