Lithuania: election winner doesn't want to govern
Although the Social Democratic Party (LSDP) emerged as the strongest party from Lithuania's parliamentary elections last month, party leader Vilija Blinkevičiūtė has decided to retain her mandate in the European Parliament rather than heading the next government. The LSDP has nominated deputy leader Gintautas Paluckas as its candidate for the office of prime minister. Criticism hails down in the national press.
Pensioner's paradise instead of PM
Blinkevičiūtė is prioritising financial incentives over political responsibility, Verslo žinios huffs:
“She said in an interview that she's a pensioner and therefore wants to 'work in the European Parliament'. Apparently things aren't as difficult for pensioners there, just as it's not as difficult to fly to Brussels and back when you're sitting in business class. Every month you receive a salary of more than 8,000 euros. After her fourth term in office, which Blinkevičiūtė has just begun, she will receive severance to the tune of around 100,000 euros. Not to mention the thousands of euros she can put on expenses without having to provide receipts.”
Political counterfeiting
The Social Democrats presented Blinkevičiūtė as their choice for prime minister to attract voters' interest, LRT criticises: LRT criticises:
“The promise was cleverly staged and secured a lot of votes for the Social Democrats – it was the wind that whipped up the 'red wave' that swept the country. ... This message was important, but it also contained a deliberately planted seed of doubt about whether she could keep her political promise and really assume office. This was meant to encourage voters to get more active and fuel their hope that their concerns could be dispelled. You could call this 'planned deception' or simply 'election marketing', where you promise gold but only deliver copper.”
A corrupt loser
Delfi columnist Rimvydas Valatka doesn't have a good word to say about the Social Democrats' replacement candidate:
“Gintautas Paluckas has a criminal record. For corruption. In a democracy, that's all you need to know for such a candidacy to be rejected. A state that has no candidate other than one with a criminal record for the office of prime minister makes itself suspect - and the same goes for Paluckas' party, to put it mildly. The criminal record is not even the worst black mark on Paluckas' CV. He will be the first prime minister who has never won a single constituency despite having participated in several elections. This year, he didn't even reach the second round.”