A new “List of Lithuania”

The upcoming parliamentary election in Lithuania result as always in establishing of new political parties. Four years ago, the showmen’s party (the National Resurrection Party) had its debut; today, after the scandal in Garliava, one of its foremen, Neringa Venckienė (Kedys’ sister) wants to stand for the Seimas and creates a new party – the “List of Lithuania”. This “list of Lithuania” features also the former controversial chairman of the Association of Poles in Lithuania, the MP Ryszard Maciejkianiec.

The “List of Lithuania” was primarily created by another extraordinarily active person, Darius Kuolys, the former chairman of the Open Society Institute and organizer of numerous rallies and protests. Recently, however, he resigned from his post and then withdrew from cooperation in creation of the new party with Neringa Venckienė, whom he supported consistently during the famous “Kedys’ affaire” (pedophile scandal).

The president of the newly created party “List of Lithuania” is Fr. Jonas Verkala. In his opinion, the main goal is to finalize the party vetting, the reform of the law institutions, open development of the budget and its expenditures to make the State serve its citizens in accordance with the Constitution. No. 1 on the “list” is, however, Neringa Venckienė, who announced the creation of a new party as soon as she was deprived of her judicial immunity by the President of Lithuania. While asked about the ideology of the group, she admitted that she is in favour of traditional Lithuanian parties, even nationalistic ones. The party’s statements, including determination of minimum wage and average pension at the level of 1.500 Lt (now 0 less than a thousand…), prove the unconcealed populism.

On the election list, next to Fr. J. Varkaly, are: Valdas Vasiliauskas, Algirdas Patackas, Povilas Gylys and… Ryszard Maciejkianiec (or, recently – Ryšard Maceikianec), famous ex-leader of the Union of Poles in Lithuania, deposed and expelled from the UPL due to numerous accusations. Being a high-ranking communist activist in the Soviet era, Maciejkianiec sat twice in the Parliament of Lithuania (1900-1996) as a representative of the Polish community. On 11 March 1990 he was one of the initiators of the idea of Polish deputies abstaining from voting for independence of Lithuania. In the second half of the 90s, he was condemned to “exile” by the community of Poles; however, he tried to create his own party (Polish People’s Party), but it did not gain the support of voters. Maciejkianiec is “a good Pole on duty” in the Lithuanian media because he has no objection to the situation of the Polish minority in Lithuania, and he finds UPL-EAPL leaders and Polish activists the greatest evil.

Source:  http://www.wilnoteka.lt/pl/artykul/nowa-quotlista-litwyquot-z-polskim-akcentem

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