VILNIUS –The strong distrust in Lithuanian lawmakers is on the rise, as more than half the country's MPs are considered to be corrupt, while fourth resident blames the ruling Social Democratic Party for venality, a recent Spinter poll said on Wednesday.
The recent corruption scandal, triggered by the Special Investigative Service and state prosecutors, has had a dramatic impact on the already exiguous public confidence in Parliament.
Fifty-four percent of Lithuanians said that with the eruption of the corruption scandal, their confidence in Parliament has decreased.
According to the survey, 26 percent of respondents believe the ruling Social Democratic Party to be the most corrupt, while 19 percent mostly distrusted the oppositional Liberal and Center Union, and 15 percent said the oppositional Homeland Union was the most corrupt.
Despite please from chairman Arturas Paulauskas and President Valdas Adamkus, Parliament rejected prosecutors' request to give permission to prosecute three lawmakers First Deputy Chairman Vytenis Andriukaitis (social democrat), deputy elder of the oppositional Homeland Union Arvydas Vidziunas and Social Liberal Vytautas Kvietkauskas, on bribery charges.
Following Parliament's decision, prosecutors terminated the criminal case concerning the three lawmakers and transferred the pre-trial investigation materials to Parliament for assessment.
Andriukaitis later announced that he would resign in order to clear his name.