President blasts 'dishonest' referendum

2008-09-10
In cooperation with BNS

The president said the upcoming Ignalina referendum could do more harm than good (Photo courtesy of president.lt)

VILNIUS - Lithuanian President Valdas Asamkus has expressed his outrage over an upcoming public referendum on extending the lifespan of the nuclear power plant at Ignalina.

The president told the Lithuanian-language daily Vilniaus Diena on Wednesday that he would attend the referendum, but would leave his ballot slip blank in protest of the 'misleading' nature of the vote.

"[I will support] neither, because that referendum is dishonest and misleading to Lithuanian voters," the president said.

As a part of its accession agreement with the European Union, Lithuaniaagreed to completely shut down its Soviet-era nuclear power plant by 2009. Though the EU feels the plant is potentially unsafe, many Lithuanian politicians have argued that the country would be too dependent on Russian energy imports without it.

Adamkus accused some of the country's politicians of misleading the Lithuanian public by implying that the referendum would have a major impact on when the controversial power plant could be forced to close.

"Some parties and individuals are trying to persuade the Lithuanian people that by holding the advisory referendum, we can evade international commitments to close the Ignalina nuclear plant by 2009. This is dishonest with regards to the voters," the president said.

"The referendum will not leave any impression on the EU. Its results may even be detrimental to us," he said.

Adamkus argued that speculation on energy issues should not be a part of election campaigns.

The president said that there is a need to negotiate with partners and reach a consensus on how Lithuaniashould deal with the issue of dependency on a sole source for its energy needs without raising the question of non-compliance with international commitments.

An advisory referendum on extending the lifespan of the nuclear power plant at Ignalina is scheduled to take place alongside parliamentary elections on Oct. 12. The referendum will be considered valid only if half of Lithuania's 2.7 million registered voters take part.