Lithuanian opposition calls for resignation

VILNIUS - After hearing President Valdas Adamkus' state of the nation,opposition party leaders stated that the government and Prime MinisterGediminas Kirkilas had nothing left to do than resign.

"If I were the prime minister, after such state of the nation I wouldeither resign or come to the Seimas to check the trust in a secret ballot. Thisshould be the practice in a democratic country because, obviously, thepresident was very critical of the situation in Lithuania- not only of the past year but also of the past period." said RasaJunkeviciene, deputy chairman of the opposition Conservatives.

Her opinion was seconded by the head of the second-largest parliamentarygroup, Virginija Baltraitiene of the Labor Party. In her words, the president'sstate of the nation revealed that Adamkus did not expect anything from theKirkilas-led government and put his hopes on the Oct. 12 generalparliamentary elections and the new Cabinet that would be formed after.

Meanwhile, the opposition Liberal Movement's leader Eligijus Masiulis saysthat the president highlighted all problems in an accurate manner, however, it lookedlike "an experienced wolf standing aside of all political processes."

Masiulis said he had also gotten the impression that Adamkus did not see anypossibilities of change during the six months until theparliamentary elections.

During the state of the nation address, the president stated that Lithuaniawas enduring a crisis of trust in the state. He highlighted the fact that Lithuaniahad failed to implement court reforms, develop family policy, follow through withuniversity education restructuring, noting that citizens were distant frompolitics because they only saw contradictions in the politicalarena.