President Gitanas Nauseda states that he will not endorse the party candidates for the Government of "Nemunas aushras" led by Remigijaus Žemaitaitis, who is accused of anti-Semitism.
"I very clearly told the leaders of the Social Democratic Party that I will not confirm and let them not even try to bring Nemunas Aušras candidates from the party itself. They may try to nominate technocratic candidates," G. Nausėda told reporters on Monday.
According to the president, finding non-partisan candidates for the party can be difficult. However, if competent personalities applied for the Cabinet of Ministers, the head of the country would agree to discuss their confirmation.
"It should be looked at according to specific candidates. If these were candidates proposed on the basis of personal friendships - certainly not, if they were professionals in their field - it would be possible to talk", explained G. Nausėda.
"However, I don't know who among self-respecting people would want to identify with the things that are now naturally associated with this party. Finding such candidates can be very difficult, but if they appear, we will talk," he added.
Also, according to the head of the country, there are questions as to whether the "Nemunas Aušra" party would have any candidates at all that they could propose to the Government.
"Knowing the fact that Mrs. Širinskienė also did not express any wish or desire to occupy this (Minister of Justice - ELTA) position, I generally have a lot of questions about whether this party will be able to present candidates who would be acceptable and could be approved. It won't be easy," he noted.
Therefore, he claims that in the course of the approval of the Government, there may be some obstacles to the implementation of the coalition agreement.
"It is possible that the president will create certain obstacles to the implementation of this coalition agreement during the formation of the Government. And I will do this not because of personal likes or dislikes, but because I think that the formation of such a coalition on such a basis was a mistake", emphasized the president.
"In such a country, our Lithuania, there is some domestic, primitive anti-Semitism. (…) To talk about the Holocaust, things that disparage the Jewish people - no one allows themselves to do that and it is unimaginable in the civilized world," he stressed.
We have created a problem in Lithuania
The head of the country emphasizes that foreign partners react very negatively to "Nemunas Aušras" joining the ruling majority. Although, according to the president, he himself has not yet received direct questions about it, the existence of the problem cannot be denied.
"For my part, I can say that foreign reactions are really very negative. (…) So far, I have not received such direct questions at the leadership level, there were general inquiries about how the formation of a new coalition is going. The news about Žemaitaitis may not have spread yet, but it is only a matter of time. The requests will only increase," G. Nausėda told reporters on Monday.
"First of all, we ourselves must understand the context of Lithuania, Lithuania's past, the stigmas that we have experienced in the same way as many other countries," he emphasized.
According to the head of the country, the decision of the Social Democrats to invite "Nemunas Aušra" led by R. Žemaitaitis, famous for his anti-Semitic statements, to join the ruling coalition was primarily irresponsible.
"Specifically, Germany is a country that is extremely important to us. Today, this (anti-Semitism - ELTA) issue is completely off the political agenda. No one, no other party would even dare to raise anti-Semitism as such a thing, because it would be wiped off the face of the earth," the president said.
"However, due to the efforts of certain irresponsible people, we have created a problem in Lithuania. We have it and we cannot deny it," he emphasized.
The Lithuanian leader emphasizes that both the plans with the German brigade and the country's strategic partnership with other countries will remain. However, according to him, certain issues can move forward much more slowly.
"Of course, no one will probably stop the projects that have started because of this. (…) It is not necessary to understand causal relationships so directly", emphasized G. Nausėda.
"Really, issues can be resolved more slowly. (…) When my partners and I used to be able to immediately proceed to the examination of specific issues, now it may be the case that in the first part of the conversation we will have to explain what is happening in Lithuania and what forces shape the political agenda", he explained.
ELTA reminds that, despite criticism from foreign partners, the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP), which forms the ruling majority, signed a coalition agreement with "Nemunas Aušra" and the Democratic Union "Vardan Lietuvos" on Monday.
On the day of the swearing-in of the new Seimas, activists are organizing a protest action called "Ten minutes of silence" near the parliament.
According to the organizers, on Thursday, when the new president will be sworn in at the parliament building Seimas, the participants of the protest will address the social democrats, democrats "Vardan Lietuvos" and the country's president Gitanas Nausėdas, asking for changes in the coalition.
During the protest, those gathered plan to honor the values, which, according to the organizers, the formed coalition is ready to mention: political decency, Lithuania's international reputation, the memory of the once destroyed Jewish citizens of Lithuania, the reliability of shared promises and statements.
Gailė Jaruševičiūtė-Mockuvienė, Raminta Majauskaitė (ELTA)
