From Lithuania

A Change for the Conservatives From Lithuania...

Sources used for this article were the ELTA News Agency and the Respublika daily newspaper.

Prime Minister Rolandas Paksas was elected to the post of the Homeland Union Board (the Lithuanian Conservative Party) Chairman on July 12th, and has replaced former leader Gediminas Vagnorius, who had resigned on July 11th.

Vagnorius accused Conservative Party Chairman and Lithuania’s Seimas (Parliament) Chairman, Vytautas Landsbergis, of forming conditions, which caused a conflict between the Cabinet and the President. This resulted in the resignation of the ministry cabinet led by Vagnorius.

The former Prime Minister said the internal conflicts came to light after the Cabinet resignation. Vagnorius said he did not want confrontation inside the party; therefore, he decided to resign from the Homeland Union Board Chairman’s post.

After an unexpected resignation of the Party’s Board Chairman Gediminas Vagnorius together with the party’s board, he was replaced by Prime Minister Rolandas Paksas, who earlier had replaced Vagnorius in the post of Premier as well. According to party regulations, the newly approved Party Board Chairman Rolandas Paksas proposed 14 candidates to 11 places in the new board.

During a special meeting, the Homeland Union Board congress elected 11 members on July 11th, including; Seimas Chancellor Jurgis Razma, Seimas First Vice Chairman Andrius Kubilius, and MPs Elena Petrošiene and Audronius Ažubalis.

Three mayors -- Juozas Butkevicius, Vitas Matuzas, and Juozas Imbrasas -- also were elected. There will be also one Cabinet member -- Transport Minister Rimantas Didžiokas.

Other board members are the Young Conservative League’s Vice-Chairman Ramunas Baužinskas, Tevynes Sajungos Žinios Editor-in-Chief Vladimiras Laucius, and the AB Kauno Audiniai Board Chairman Ramunas Garbaravicius. Seimas Vice-Chairman Andrius Kubilius is the only one who remained from the old board.

Evaluating the first part of the Conservative Party’s special meeting, Seimas’s Chairman Vytautas Landsbergis stated during a news conference that the approach to the internal activities of the party, to the work for the state, and to the sharing of responsibility or not sharing had been discussed.

"I think that a more moderate, rational, and more of a state approach gained the upper hand. This is not a conflict of persons, it is not a personal victory for anybody, but a solution to the situation. The party is large, it affects the development of the state, and it should continue to be strong." Landsbergis said.

He did not make forecasts of Vagnorius’s future in the party. Landsbergis only stressed that everything would depend on Vagnorius himself.