Poczykowska will be approved in the near future

The Mayor of Rokiškis region Municipality, Vidmantas Kanopa, and the ex-Mayor of Vilnius region Municipality, Leokadia Poczykowska, will occupy the positions of the Vice-Ministers of Agriculture. The Minister of Agriculture, Virgilijus Jukna, said that the candidates would be approved in the near future.

“The candidates will be approved in the near future. They completed all formalities and there were not any problems”, stressed Jukna.

According to the Minister, the candidates have a lot of experience and are knowledgeable about the agricultural sector.

“Thanks to their experience, the candidates earned respect among farmers. Kanopa has already managed a similar position. Poczykowska has wide experience as well”, said Jukna.

In 1992 Kanopa, a 56 years old social democrat, worked as a director of “Alseta” company which dealt with the meat processing. In 1996 after the reorganization he became a founder and director of “Daivida” company. Between 2000 and 2001 Kanopa performed the function of the Mayor of Rokiškis region Municipality, between 2001 and 2003 he was the Director-General of “Anykščių vynas” company. Between 2003 and 2008 he occupied the position of the Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, in 2008 he became a director of “Daivida” company. Since 2011 he has performed the function of the Mayor of Rokiškis region Municipality once again.

Since 1995 57 years old Poczykowska has been working actively within the circles of the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania [Polish: Akcja Wyborcza Polaków na Litwie; AWPL]. She was a vice-leader of this organization as well. Between 1995 and 2004 she occupied a seat in the council of Vilnius region Municipality. Within that period she also performed the function of the Mayor of the region. She was thought to be one of the closest associates of Tomaszewski.

In 2004 she was elected to the Seimas in Vilnius-Širvintos district and became active within the populistic faction of Kazimiera Prunskienė. In December 2007 she left AWPL criticizing the authoritarian rule of Waldemar Tomaszewski. In the parliamentary elections in 2008 she stood for election unsuccessfully from the list of Lithuanian Peasant Popular Union and managed to gain only 4,11% of votes in the first ballot in Vilnius-Širvintos district.

Source: http://pl.delfi.lt/aktualia/litwa/poczykowska-ma-byc-zatwierdzona-w-najblizszym-czasie.d?id=60382159

Tłumaczenie Karolina Rolka w ramach praktyk w Europejskiej Fundacji Praw Człowieka, www.efhr.eu. Translated by Karolina Rolka the framework of a traineeship programme of the European Foundation of Human Rights, www.efhr.eu.