VILNIUS - President Valdas Adamkus stressed that PM-nominee Algirdas Brazauskas would have to assume responsibility for the new Cabinet, several possible minister in which the president has expressed concern over conflict of interest issue.
Adamkus shared his thoughts with journalists at the Seimas (Lithuania's parliament) on Wednesday after Brazauskas' earlier statements that each minister in the new Cabinet would have to take responsibility for him or herself and that the prime minister could not be "higher than the other."
Answering lawmakers' questions on Tuesday, Brazauskas refused to take responsibility for any actions of Labor Party leader Viktor Uspaskich, who has been proposed for the post of economy minister. Uspaskich has discredited himself among many in the opposition and even in Brazauskas' own Social Democratic party for his irrational social promises to voters during the parliamentary campaign.
"The government cannot go in all 14 directions," Adamkus told journalists just one day after he asked Parliament to support Brazauskas' candidacy, referring to the number of ministerial posts.
The Labor Party, the Social Democrats, the Social Liberals and the Union of Farmers and New Democracy Parties have agreed to form a coalition and are currently in talks on dividing governmental and parliamentary posts. However, some of the candidates - including two from the Social Democrats - have come under fire for possible conflict of interest issues. But Brazauskas said he would stick by the candidate despite the uproar in the press and doubts expressed openly by Adamkus.
If the parliament approves Brazauskas' candidacy on Thursday, he plans to present a list of candidates for ministers to the president on the same day.
