Conservative parliamentary faction splits

VILNIUS - The biggest parliamentary faction, the Conservatives, split on March 24. Supporters of ex-Prime Minister Gediminas Vagnorius formed their own faction and named it the Moderate Conservatives' faction.

There are 13 MPs in this new faction. Four of them, Vytautas Pakalniskis, Saulius Saltenis, Kestutis Skrebys, and Rimantas Pleikys, were ministers in the Vagnorius government that was in power from December 1996 to May 1999.

Vagnorius suspended his membership in the Conservative Party on Feb. 17 this year. He did not reject the idea that the split in the Conservative Party might follow the split of the parliamentary faction.

The Moderate Conservatives' parliamentary faction made an official statement signed by its members. It reads that "Lithuania's economy was flourishing" during the rule of Vagnorius' government in 1996 - 1998. The Moderate Conservatives criticized the Conservative governments that came to power after Vagnorius.

The new faction accused these governments of "perverse Liberalism," stepping down from the "Conservative program" that caused the worsening of the country's economic situation.

At the same time Vagnorius promised to support "all constructive steps of the current government."

Landsbergis, leader of the Conservative Party, expressed his hope that these words will be true, though he also spoke about his fears.

"If the left side [of Parliament] would want to ruin the current government, and if this [Vagnorius'] faction will support the leftists, the conditions for such ruin will be great," Landsbergis said.

Fifty-one MPs remain in the Conservative faction supporting Landsbergis. There are 139 MPs in Parliament. On March 27 the MPs of the Conservative faction held their meeting and stated that the Moderate Conservatives should be expelled from the Conservative Party. The party's decision is expected in coming days.

Arvydas Vidziunas, MP of the bigger Conservative faction, described the accusations of Vagnorius' supporters as "mythology."

The Conservative Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius described the creation of a new faction as the political ambition of the Vagnorius' supporters. "Parliamentary elections are coming," Kubilius said. Parliamentary elections will be held this fall. Political observers speculate that the Vagnorius' supporters might participate in these elections separately from the Conservative Party.

On March 25 the Christian Democratic Party, the main ally of the Conservatives, split when part of its members decided to establish the Modern Christian Democratic Union in April.

Rimvydas Valatka, a political observer for the daily Lietuvos rytas, said the pro-Landsbergis Conservatives can expect support only from several MPs of the Social democracy 2000 party and two Christian Democratic factions. Still, he says, the opposition factions are too divided to make a common ruling bloc.