In principle, they can be friends or at war with all of them, and there are generally no major barriers for party members to migrate from one banner to another.
In short, the parties are turning grey, and one of the main reasons for this is the public's deep distrust of these political organisations, their ideology, and politics in general.
The founding of a new political party in the country, the Democratic Union „In the Name of Lithuania“, which took place last weekend in Palanga, was a reminder of these long-standing trends.
The former Farmers' Prime Minister, S. Skvernelis, was elected as its chairman without competition, sweeping aside his rivals V. Bakas and A. Miškinienė by a large majority of delegates.
Of course, the latter only stood as candidates to justify the word „democrats“ in the party's name in the public sphere.
The B.Y.O. Refreshment and Food Ball. This is the name given to the organisation at its founding congress by none other than one of its leaders and creators of its ideology, former farmer T.Tomilinas.
This politician was referring primarily to the ideology and programme of the new union, which was allegedly put together not only by him but also by the other founding members of the party, who represent different political spectrums.
According to Tomilinas, the main pillars of the ideology of the Democratic Party „In the Name of Lithuania“ are „the economic centre-left, moderate cultural conservatism, the green idea and decentralisation“.
At the same time, Skvernelis, the leader of Vardan Lietuvos, spoke much more simply and eloquently – he identified the main ideological orientation of the party as people and their interests, but not some values that were supposedly detached from real life.
Moreover, Skvernelis made it clear that he was referring first and foremost to the ordinary person, who is often forgotten and unprotected, neither from the government nor from the powerful or the rich.
By the way, similar slogans have been used so far by many of the various so-called new saviours of the country.
The metaphor of T.Tomilinas about the „B.Y.O. Snacks ball“ or the practical speeches of S.Skvernelis about the man, one could say, reflect the composition of the new party – both its ordinary members and its leaders.
After all, some of the founders of „In the Name of Lithuania“, who are said to number almost half a thousand, are people who have either not been involved in politics at all so far, or who have participated in it through local government election committees.
However, most New Democrats seem to be well established in regional and national politics.
They probably include mostly former members of the Farmers, Social Democrats, members of the organisation led by A.Zuokas, R.Žemaitis and A.Paulauskas, as well as representatives of smaller right-wing or left-wing formations.
It is telling that on the eve of the founding congress, not only another former government minister, K.Mažeika of the Marijampolė Farmers, and a part of the Kalvarija branch of the party led by him, but also a couple of conservatives, announced that they would move to the camp of S.Skvernelis.
The latter are E.Gudišauskienė, the elder of the right-wing faction of the Kaunas City Council, and Councillor V.Gudėnas.
Like many other members of the new party, these figures were brought here by the desire to rise above their former organisation to take revenge on their former political comrades.
At the same time, Skvernelis and his closest comrades are undoubtedly hoping to regain four years of power or at least part of it.
It may be recalled that the Union of Farmers and Greens, led by Karbauskis, also won almost absolute power in 2016, primarily because it made it clear to the voters that the party's name was only used for the sake of the party, as the law does not allow other lists to take part in the Seimas elections.
A bloc of partisans and non-partisans, claiming to have nothing in common with other political organisations, but to represent ordinary people, was at the heart of the Farmers' image at the time.
So Karbauskis is simply being hypocritical when he now explains that Skvernelis, unlike him or all the farmers, was not driven into politics by values but only by a desire for power.
The Farmer leader hopes that the label of political defectors, who only want power and do not follow stable party principles, may harm his former comrades.
But the paradox is that the migration of various people into the union created by the former prime minister has so far only helped it. „Everybody wants to go to Skvernelis“ is the message that the founders of „In the Name of Lithuania“ have been trumpeting loud and often. Apparently, thanks to good public relations, the new party could be established relatively quickly and without any major obstacles.
Now, the task is no less important – to convince the voters that the new union is really different.
To this end, congress also delivered a sharp critique of the current government.
The image of newness should be created by younger faces, particularly the current E.U. Commissioner Sinkevičius. Judging by Skvernelis' hints, this politician could be the party's main candidate for the post of prime minister.
This strategy of „In the Name of Lithuania“ can be successful also because the entire Lithuanian political landscape is significantly depressed.
