Zuokas’ election promise: average wage to reach 1,000 euros

KAUNAS - Vilnius Mayor, leader of the movement YES Arturas Zuokas presented an election program in Kaunas this weekend during a congress of the TAIP movement, reports LETA.

Zuokas' political movement spoke about bringing back business licenses, making Lithuania a global business nucleus, reforming the Labor Exchange into a Career Agency, raising the average wage to 1,000 euros by 2016 and employing local renewable energy sources.

One of their key goals is reviving Lithuania's parliament. Zuokas seeks to hold a referendum "YES to the Revival of the Seimas!" His movement wants to cut down the number of MPs from 141 to 101 and limit the number of their terms, extend a mandate of a member of the Seimas from 4 year to 5, move general elections from autumn to spring and give the Seimas more law-making rights. The "revival" referendum would mark the first step towards the revival of the entire Lithuania, Zuokas said.

According to the leader of the movement YES, Lithuania has to bring back the system of business licenses in order to restore the business reputation and promote small and medium scale business. In addition to that, business has to move to a global level: Lithuania has to become a core for ideas and global business rather than a warehouse for major global corporations.

The political movement also speaks about a policy of differential VAT rates and replacing 80 percent of gas import with local fuels.

A total of 101 candidates from the YES movement will stand for general elections in autumn; each of them will officially pledge to make one good job for the sake of Lithuania.