2024-07-06 08:03:40
V. Bakas himself jokes that it’s good that at least he didn’t stay on the sidelines at all, while the head of the party’s election headquarters assures that one shouldn’t “interpret more than it is”. What’s wrong with the Democrats?
What happened to the party?
On Thursday, the chairman of the Democrats, Saulius Skvernelis, announced that, as he promised, he would take the party’s list to the Seimas.
Seimas members Lukas Savickas, Linas Kukuraičius and Algirdas Butkevičius also got places in the top five of the list.
At that time, MP V. Bakas did not even make it to the top ten of the list – he was 36th.
Speaking to a news portal lrytas.lt V. Bakas said that his place on the Seimas election list is the result of the ranking of 25 party board members.
“If joking like that, it could have generally de-rated me outside of the party list. That’s as good as it gets.
And if you’re serious, the European Parliament elections have indeed shown that voters value the work I do, primarily in the public interest, much higher – I was ranked in the top ten.
The decision of the party colleagues is as follows. I respect him. But the voters will have the last word,” V. Bakas said.
The name of V. Bakos, who is serving his second term in the Seimas, has recently flashed in the media mainly because of the parliamentary commission that examined the history of the State Security Department (VSD) Reporter, of which he was the chairman.
And “Vardan Lietuvos” and the chairman of the party, S. Skvernelis, have already managed to distance themselves from V. Bak’s actions in the story of the Speaker.
For example, when President Gitanas Nausėda delivered his annual report in the Seimas last week, V. Bakas put up the sign “President, does the whistleblower’s conscience bother you?” near his workplace.
S. Skvernelis said at that time that he did not approve of such actions of his comrade: “We have an individual character who acts independently. I don’t support such actions and neither does the political party.”
When asked how he would explain his place on the list, V. Bakas stated that it would be difficult for him to speculate on this issue, as the ranking was secret.
However, the politician admitted that it could be related to the Speaker’s history.
“The speaker’s story was not really supported. But, nevertheless, it seems to me that the public interest, human rights, high standards in politics, what I try to do, is more important than the place on the list. At least for me, it is much more important,” he said.
So, did you not think of looking at other parties, where there would be more support and where his ideas would be more appreciated?
“Ideas are valued by people, voters. You cannot serve the party or any of its interests and put it higher than the state interest, the public interest. Throughout my political career, I tried to choose the public interest and defend it,” V. Bakas taught.
“Transparency in politics, protection of human rights is a greater value than trying to please someone in the party,” he added.
“We continue to work”
The head of the party’s election headquarters, the MP Lukas Savickas, who is included in the list as number two, for the news portal lrytas.lt stated that “no more should be interpreted from it than it is.”
“The voting of the board members took place, it lasted for three days. There were 170 people on the list, and I think it’s not a bad result to be in the top 30 out of 170 candidates.
Of course, this is not the first or second ten, but, as far as I know, it is not the lowest result among members of the Seimas”, said L. Savickas.
Is V.Bak’s place on the list related to his activities in examining the Speaker’s history?
“Really, we in the board did not have this kind of discussion. According to our approved order, the ranking was as follows. Similarly, as during the elections, the results of the elections are what they are, and then we continue to work with it,” said the member of the Seimas.
On Thursday, the Democratic Union “Vardan Lietuvos” approved the party’s list for the Seimas.
Party chairman S. Skvernelis is in the first place on the list, Seimas member L. Savickas is second on the list. Economist Jekaterina Rojaka, Seimas members Linas Kukuraitis and Algirdas Butkevičius are next in line.
There are newcomers to the Seimas in the list of the Democratic Union “Vardan Lietuvos”. Benjaminas Želvys, head of the Kaunas musical theater, Rolanda Lingienė, epidemiologist, Nijolė Jagelavičienė, member of the Vilnius city council, and Rasa Pavarienė, chairperson of the Žvērynas community, will run with the Democrats.
Read more about the party’s plans for the Seimas elections here.
2024-07-06 08:03:40