Opposition won't shape government composition in Lithuania - PM

VILNIUS - Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene has accused the country's opposition of an attempt to eliminate democratically elected political forces and says it will not be the opposition that will form the government as the ruling majority continues to face a crisis over the controversial takeover of the Culture Ministry by the Nemunas Dawn party.

"I immediately see shades of political pressure and even political blackmail in this question," the prime minister said addressing lawmakers today.

"Please do not blackmail the majority. It is not the opposition or narrow political interests that form the composition of the government, but the ruling coalition, collegially, all factions, unanimously," Ruginiene pointed out.

She was responding to the opposition's question submitted in advance: "When will you separate the Nemunas Dawn party from the Culture Ministry and how will you end the discrediting of the state?"

According to Ruginiene, although this question is formally about the Culture Ministry, it is actually about "the understanding of democracy, the formation of government, and respect for the will of the voters," and the opposition is seeking to undermine democratic processes and the ruling coalition's right to form the government.

The opposition appeal states that culture has become an object of coalition bargaining, and protests against the Culture Ministry's takeover by the controversial Nemunas Dawn party are only growing. The document accuses the prime minister of further fueling discord and distorting the protesters' demand to remove Nemunas Dawn from the government.

POLARIZATION ACCUSATIONS

Under to the coalition agreement, Nemunas Dawn is in charge of the Culture Ministry. In response, the cultural community has staged protests, organized a warning strike, and demanded that this party not be responsible for managing the ministry.

The prime minister considers this demand as a desire to remove Nemunas Dawn from the coalition.

"If the opposition is prepared to undermine democratic processes and deliberately stir up polarization and confrontation, then we should probably ask ourselves who benefits from this. First of all, such attempts to destabilize democracy benefit hostile states," the prime minister said.

"It is precisely when one side of the political spectrum tries to eliminate democratically elected political forces from the political arena that our enemies rub their hands with glee," Ruginiene said.

According to her, statements directed against the coalition go beyond the "limits of healthy citizenship", and the opposition's involvement in protests means "unjustified political pressure and questioning the legitimacy of the elections".

"What have the last week and the protests that followed the decision to give the Culture Ministry to Nemunas Dawn shown? The resistance led by the conservatives (Homeland Union - Lithuanian Christian Democrats), the Liberals (the Liberal Movement), and even the Democrats (the Democrats "For Lithuania") to the composition of the government turned into open political pressure, even blackmail," the prime minister said.

ADOMAVICIUS MADE "MANY MISTAKES"

Ignotas Adomavicius, who was nominated by the Nemunas Dawn party and appointed culture minister but resigned after a week, lacked competence in the field of culture. His actions and behavior were criticized by the cultural community, the opposition, and some of the ruling coalition partners.

The prime minister says he did not live up to expectations and made many mistakes, which made it impossible for him to work.

"However, even after his resignation, the pressure did not end as the ultimatums instigated by the conservatives and liberals got even more radical," she said.

Ruginiene assured that Education, Science and Sport Minister Raminta Popoviene, who is temporarily acting as culture minister, would meet with the cultural community, seek consensus, and ensure that the situation stabilizes.

"I hear the voices of the protesters. However, hearing them does not mean giving in to political pressure or blackmail. In this situation, the opposition is not only expressing criticism, it is using the protests to put as much pressure as possible on the government," the prime minister said in her closing remarks.

Following the resignation of Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas, a new ruling coalition was formed by the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party, Nemunas Dawn, and the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union and the Christian Families Alliance political group. It has 82 seats in the Seimas.