2024-04-15 14:53:19
It is true that only five of the eight candidates agreed to participate in the debate organized by the ELTA news agency.
At the event, the current leader of the country, Gitanas Nausėda, who is seeking re-election, Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė, who is nominated for the presidency of the Patriotic Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats (TS-LKD), and the leader of the “Nemunos ausra” party, MP Remigijus Žemaitaitis, will not discuss with their competitors.
Why did these three candidates refuse to participate in the presidential debate?
Povilas Mačiulis, the head of the election staff of President G. Nausėda, who is seeking re-election, stated that G. Nausėda cannot participate in the debate because he is performing the functions of the president on Monday.
“I am the head of the election headquarters and I can only organize those activities or invite the candidate to participate in those activities in which the candidate can and has time to participate. In this case, he cannot participate in the debate, because he had pre-planned work meetings, so he could not devote this time to electoral issues”, – to the portal lrytas.lt explained P. Mačiulis.
On Monday, the President will visit Šakiai district, where he will meet with the mayor of this municipality, later he will visit Kudirka’s Naumiestis Vincas Kudirka gymnasium, and at the time of the debate, he will meet with the community of Šakiai district.
P. Mačiulis emphasized that he will participate in all debates in which G. Nausėda can participate.
“I don’t know the exact number of those debates. In those debates where we were invited and I know that the candidate G. Nausėda will have time to participate, it has already been answered that he will be able to participate. Where we don’t have complete information on the agenda, there is still a lot left unanswered,” he said.
Prime Minister I. Šimonytė, candidate for president of TS-LKD, has already mentioned several times that she will not carry out election campaigns during her direct work. On Monday, only business meetings are on her agenda.
As a portal lrytas.lt said Mindaugas Lingė, the head of the presidential election staff of TS-LKD, I. Šimonytė performs all electoral functions only after the working hours of the Government, and she intends to concentrate mostly on the election campaign from April 22, when she will step back from the duties of the prime minister for a few weeks and pay the most attention to the elections.
R. Žemaitaitis, who is running for president, refused to participate in the debate because he is preparing his own tour of Lithuania on Monday. He has already visited Rietave and Raseiniai, he will also visit Ariogala and Domeikava, where the politician meets with local residents.
As he emphasizes, he talks to people as a parliamentarian and not as a presidential candidate, although the range of topics discussed is wide.
“Most of the meetings are as a parliamentarian. Only in Domeikava will I participate as a candidate. There are various questions, because the main topics are now military matters. But many people ask questions about what the functions of the president are. It is natural, because there is a conflict between the president and the Seimas”, – to the portal lrytas.lt commented R. Žemaitaitis.
Five candidates will meet at the event on Monday: Giedrimas Jeglinskas, candidate of the “Vardan Lietuvos” Democratic Union, Andrius Mazuronis, candidate of the Labor Party, Dainius Žalimas, candidate of the Freedom Party, independent lawyer Ignas Vėgėlė and doctor Eduardas Vaitkus.
The first round of presidential elections will take place on May 12.
2024-04-15 14:53:19