Paksas trumps Prunskiene

VILNIUS - A pack of playing cards featuring the caricatures of well-known Lithuanian political figures has appeared for the first time in Lithuania.

The cartoons decorate the 16 face cards in the deck of 52. Political importance, looks, laurels and other criteria were reportedly taken into account in selecting candidates and their pecking order in the deck.

President Valdas Adamkus, Parliamentary Chairman Arturas Paulauskas, Prime Minister Rolandas Paksas and ex-President Algirdas Brazauskas are the aces. Vytautas Landsbergis, Cesolvas Jursenas, Andrius Kubilius and, inexplicably, Vytautas Sustauskas, all MPs, are the four kings.

The queens are LithuaniaÕs female political elite, Rasa Jukneviciene, Kazimiera Prunskiene, Nijole Ozelyte and Laima Andrikiene. Romualdas Ozolas, who lost in the most recent elections to parliament, and Andrius Butkevicius, the parliamentarian sentenced to serve time in a detention facility, are jacks, as are former foreign ministers Algirdas Saudargas and Povilas Gylys.

The deck is printed by the Gironda publishing house and was on display at an exhibition called Advertising and Printing at VilniusÕ LITEXPO exhibition center last week.