Decisions on Lithuanian government's fate must be made quickly – presidential aide

  • 2023-05-19
  • BNS/TBT Staff

VILNIUS – Decisions on the Lithuanian government's fate and a snap election have to be made quickly to make sure that the period of political chaos is as short as possible, Valdas Augustinavicius, an advisor to President Gitanas Nauseda, said on Friday.  

"All other solutions that are being proposed in the public space today are matters for the Seimas to decide and whatever the decisions are, the most important thing is to decide quickly so that the political chaos is as short as possible," he told reporters. 

Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, who also leads the Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats, said earlier on Friday that most politicians fail to meet the standards of transparency demanded by the public and convened a meeting of the ruling conservative party's presidium to decide on the future of the government and the need for an early parliamentary election.

The move comes after Nauseda called for the resignation of the ministers for education, culture and finance amid doubts about the transparency of the funds they spent as members of the City Council of Kaunas.  

Augustinavicius believes that the government has become "hostage" to the three ministers.

As long as the problem remains unresolved, it complicates the situation for the government, the parliament and the political system as a whole, according to the presidential advisor. 

"If the problem is not dealt with, in the (current) geopolitical environment and the economic recession, it certainly does not bode well for the country," he said.