Lietuva in brief - 2004-03-11

  • 2004-03-11
The news service for the LNK television channel reported new evidence against Yuri Borisov, the businessman who lost his citizenship after the Constitutional Court found the president had granted it to him unlawfully.

According to the documents referred to by LNK, Borisov intended to establish a unconstitutional "council of two," consisting of himself and Paksas, that would be a higher institution than the President's Office and would hold sittings each week.

Though he ranks as a close second behind Paksas in recent polls asking voters who they would choose if early presidential elections were to be held, former President Valdas Adamkus (photo) stated that he does not intent to run as a candidate. Political scientists have viewed Adamkus' move as a gesture of passing the baton to younger political leaders.

Former inmate Arturas Miliauskas has accused the administration of a Lithuanian prison of banning him from voting in the presidential elections last year along with the referendum on EU membership. Though the High Administrative Court recently rejected his complaints and his demand for 520,000 litas (151,000 euros) in moral damages, Miliauskas has taken the matter to the European Court of Human Rights and received notification about the start of litigation procedures there.

Embattled President Rolandas Paksas would stand the best chance of winning presidential elections if they were held now, a poll from the Lithuanian-British pollster Baltijos Tyrimai revealed. The survey conducted between Feb.11 and Feb. 18 found that Paksas would collect 20.4 percent of all votes, while former Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus came in a close second as he would likely collect 19.8 percent.

Valentinas Mazuronis, chairman of the country's pro-presidential Liberal Democratic Party, will have to stand trial for slandering Parliamentary Speaker Arturas Paulauskas. The case was transferred to court on March 5 after the Vilnius District Prosecutor's Office completed its investigation.

The Lithuanian Parliament decided on March 5 to replace its delegated observer to the European Parliament, Egidijus Vareikis, with Romanas Sedlickas, a member of the Liberal Centrists faction. The decision to recall the former was made after he left the Liberal Centrists.

The State Security Department decided to fire the head of its Alytus office for handing over classified intelligence to President Rolandas Paksas. Two weeks ago Albertas Sereika gave secret material on the privatization of the Alita winemaker to the President's Office after a phone call from Paksas, which Sereika said was superior to internal rules.