Lithuania: Prime Minister Paluckas resigns
Just eight months after taking office, Lithuania's Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas has resigned amid allegations of corruption and conflict of interests. Both President Gitanas Nausėda and his coalition partner had urged him to take this step. Finance Minister Rimantas Šadžius has been appointed as acting prime minister.
Here's to civil courage
Verslo žinios praises the citizens' strong reaction and laments the authorities' inaction:
“There is cause for hope: Lithuania has a vigilant, committed and patriotic civil society. It has once again shown that it will not allow basic democratic values to be trampled underfoot. Nevertheless an awkward question remains: why did those who are paid to monitor such activities fail to act? Where were the authorities and intelligence services that ignored the scandal in which the prime minister was embroiled? Why did the Vilnius city administration remain silent, even though Paluckas has yet to pay a court-ordered fine? Was it indifference, negligence - or simply the fear of falling foul of those in power?”
No coalition partner in sight
Paluckas's resignation has left the ruling Lithuanian Social Democrats (LSDP) politically isolated and without any realistic coalition options, political scientist Matas Baltrukevičius explains in Delfi:
“The Social Democrats currently have no clear answers - either to the question of who should take over as prime minister or regarding the composition of a governing coalition. In view of the profound crisis the party is facing, President Gitanas Nausėda is likely to gain influence - especially if the coalition talks prove difficult. The Social Democrats understand that they will have to deal with the aftermath of the scandal for the next three years. Even just minimising the damage would be a major achievement for them.”