The rulers are open about their problems: the president does not bother us

“You shouldn’t be surprised”

When the president of the Seimas Viktorija Čmilyte – Nielsen announced that she would appoint Vytautas Mizaras, a lawyer, to the judges of the Constitutional Court (CC), observers from the political field were silent. Representatives of the larger Conservative ruling group soon said they would not support this candidacy.

It was argued that a lawyer defending gay rights should become a politician himself, not a CC judge.

On the program, Eugenijus Gentvilas, the senior of the Liberal Movement faction in the Seimas, emphasized that the candidate’s competence must be evaluated.

“This is not what we did, it was the decision of the Speaker of the Seimas. She informed us as a group before her decision, perhaps the first to report, but that is her decision. What happened in her mind, I do not know. We did not discuss how It would be, we discussed together. We support the candidacy of Mr. Mizar. Another thing is that a mature political community should first speak of competitions, and now the language has become like in some immature community. And what was he defending? Oh, sexual minorities ”Said the major of the Liberal Movement.

The deputy raised the question of how the assassin’s candidacy would be assessed.

“When would we talk then? After all, the job of a lawyer is such that he has to defend the murderer, the minority, the majority and all the clients. I regret that there are only substantive competitions ”, lamented the liberal E. Gentvilas.

The politician said that disagreement within the ruling coalition faction should not come as a surprise, it was to be expected.

“Knowing the composition of the Seimas and one of the ruling factions, it shouldn’t surprise us. But I think there will be civilized decisions, there will be a secret ballot and everything will be here. I hope that V. Mizaras will become judge of the CC ”, – expected E. Gentvilas.

“Agree to disagree”

Radvilė Morkūnaitė-Mikulienė, the eldest of the conservative faction, said that it is no secret that opinions differ on some issues within the faction and the party.

“We have a description of such situations, we have agreed to disagree. But in general, there are certainly enough people in the faction who value V. Mizar’s professional skills, his experience. It should be in the first place. I think we could really become in a more mature society, where, understanding all the differences, we seek points of consensus, not differences, ”said the Conservative.

He said he personally supported the candidacy and that candidate Mizar would attend the faction meeting and introduce himself.

“There is a lot of time here, 3 months before the formal presentation to the Seimas, there is definitely a lot of time. We will discuss in the faction and then we will vote according to the impression of one or the other candidate,” said the eldest of the TS-LKD faction in the Seimas .

Discussions cannot even arise

Ieva Pakarklytė, representative of Freedom Faction, said that her faction supported this candidacy.

“So far, the cooperation between the ruling factions is, I would say, very constructive and entrepreneurial. And it is the language of arguments, all those arguments listed by my colleagues on the basis of which we elect CC judges generally: there are competence, professionalism, authority in the legal community and accumulated experience. It seems to me that the debate here cannot even arise due to the candidacy of V. Mizar “, – said the parliamentarian.

She hoped MPs would hear all the arguments.

“In the end, the result will be that business arguments will be heard and a constructive decision will be made,” expected I. Pakarklytė.

Public relations career

The show also discussed the work of the new ruling majority government to address the coronavirus pandemic.

Many policy commentators are surprised by the heightened role of President Nausėda.

When asked if the head of the country is more useful or more hampered by the government, the largest of the faction of the liberal movement in the Seimas, E. Gentvilas, ironically said that it would not please anyone.

“I hear more and more that the president is generally unsettling. I mean, since the President showed no activity in working with that government, questions arose as to why he did not show that activity. Then the president began to be more active, which now makes it difficult. I say that it would be better for all governments if there were no president in office. And even more, an active president, ”he laughed.

Gentville said he couldn’t read whether the president was more of a hindrance or an aide because he was not a member of the cabinet. However, the politician was embroiled in a remarkable “public relations career”.

“In my opinion, the president coordinates with the government (actions, aut. P.), sometimes there is such a notorious career in public relations. But does that mean it’s a hassle? I do not believe it. If the president began to interfere in decisions, naming what the government has to do, I would say that he hinders. The last saying was that quarantine could now be relaxed, which is cautious wording. Can it interfere? I would say that the cowardly government would accept such a presidential conference as a decree, an instruction. But this is not the government of cowards ”, emphasized the Seimas member in the program.

He explained that the president could not remain silent, so he expressed his position.

But this is not an attempt to take over the executive’s functions in crisis management. I don’t think it’s an obstacle, everyone could evaluate it in their own way, “he said on the show.

R. Morkūnaitė – Mikulėnienė, the eldest of the conservative faction, also agreed with this position.

“I think the compromise is good. I think the executive is coping with the current situation quite well. Naturally, the Presidency has the right and the will to participate, and it does. And all other considerations, whether too much or too little, are a matter of taste here, ”said R. Morkūnaitė – Mikulėnienė.

Matas Maldeikis, a member of the Conservative Group, was probably the first to raise the question of whether the president should attend European Council (EV) meetings. Perhaps this is the duty of Prime Minister I. Šimonytė?

“Some meetings were attended by the president, some by the prime minister. It’s a wide variety of those ways, if people have questions, apparently there is a desire to discuss it. I think it’s quite normal,” said R. Morkūnaitė-Mikulėnienė, the largest of the conservative faction in the Seimas.