“I think that when coming to negotiations, their expectations should be to receive more than they deserve, and ours should be to give less. Such are the negotiating positions, but everywhere there are proportions, quotas, and we cannot disobey them. It seems to them that they can have four ministers, while it seems to us that maybe two and a half is too much for them, at best two (ministers – ELTA),” said R. Budbergytė to Eltai.
At that time, Orinta Leiputė, the elder of the Social Democratic faction in the Seimas, assures that the main offer of the LSDP to the democrats “In the name of Lithuania” is the management of two ministries, which until now were supervised by “Nemunas Aušra”, which was previously in the coalition.
“Expectations can always be expressed. We are not inclined to increase anything. The support point is what was curated by “Nemunas Aušra”, but we also understand that “Nemunas Aušra” had 18 (members of the faction – ELTA), and there are 13 Democrats (members of the faction – ELTA) and this is quite a significant difference when organizing work in the Seimas”, O. Leiputė said to Elta.
“Neina is not talking about more. (Democrats “On behalf of Lithuania” – ELTA) have more ambitions, we have ambitions so that they have less (should – ELTA). There is not even a word that there could be more. Our main offer is two, the third is under discussion, but we offer two,” she emphasized.
According to Elta, the Democrats are negotiating for posts in the Ministries of Environment, Agriculture, Energy and Foreign Affairs.
For the time being, the Ministries of Environment and Agriculture are still headed by ministers delegated by “Aushrei”. However, when the coalition changes, these seats will become vacant.
The media announced that during the negotiations, the “democrats” in the new coalition could seek the Ministry of Energy, and in that case delegate the MP Lukas Savickas as its head. Žygimantas Vaičiūnas, who currently heads the ministry, says he has no such indications.
It is true that last week there were hints in the public space about the possible removal of K. Budris from the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs. Among the possible scenarios, the appointment of Deividas Matulionis, the chief adviser to the president, to his place has been considered. However, the leader of the Social Democrats, Mindaugas Sinkevičius, said on Saturday that he could not assure that K. Budrys would remain in the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs even after the reform of the ruling majority. He also noted that Virginijus Sinkevičius, the temporary chairman of the Democratic Union “Vardan Lietuvos” could also become the new head of diplomacy, if he decides to take such a step.
V. Sinkevičius himself said that he does not rule out such a scenario, but insisted that his decision will depend on the extent and priorities of the Government’s reloading.
L. Savickas: it would be very difficult to find approval if two ministries and an incomplete reboot of the Government were proposed
On his part, Lukas Savickas, the vice-chairman of the Democratic Union “Vardan Lietuvos” assures that these four ministries are a real object of discussion.
“I think that what was said publicly was also heard in the context of negotiations – if there was a proposal for Virginius to be the fourth minister of foreign affairs, it could be an option to be considered,” L. Savickas told reporters in the Seimas.
“I think that taking into account the reference point that is available now, this is a real subject of discussion,” he answered when asked if the Democrats in “In the Name of Lithuania” expect to coordinate the Ministries of Environment, Agriculture, Foreign Affairs and Energy.
However, the politician makes it clear that the democrats “Vardan Lietuvos” would not be satisfied with only managing two ministries.
“The Social Democrats assess the situation realistically, and their decision to form a new Government is big and fundamental. For this, it is necessary to agree fairly, proportionately and in such a way that it is sustainable and long-term. Trying to trick or look for numbers after the decimal point does not contribute to that,” taught L. Savickas.
“I think that if the proposal was limited to two ministries and the overloading of the Government was very limited or incomplete, it would be very difficult to find approval,” he emphasized.
On Wednesday, the first bilateral meeting of the negotiating groups of social democrats and democrats took place in Vilnius, and on Tuesday the leaders of all three parties – Mindaugas Sinkevičius, Virginijus Sinkevičius and Aurelijs Veryga – gathered for an informal conversation in Brussels.
According to M. Sinkevičius, the “Vardan Lietuvos” democrats have expressed that they have more ambitions in the Government than just the vacated “Eastern” ministries.
The new coalition is being formed after the LSDP council decided last Saturday to change the ruling majority formed last summer, removing “Nemunas Aušra” from it and starting consultations with the “Vardan Lietuvos” Democratic Union.
The tension in the current coalition increased after some of the ruling partners in the Seimas did not support the establishment of the Kapčiamiestis military training ground.
