Bakas himself jokes that it is at least good that he has not been left behind, while the party's election chief of staff says that it is not necessary to „interpret more than is there“. What's wrong with the Democrats?
What's wrong with the party?
On Thursday, Democrats' Chairman Saulius Skvernelis announced that, as promised, he would lead the party's list to the Seimas.
The list's top five also includes MEPs Lukas Savickas, Linas Kukuraitis and Algirdas Butkevičius.
At the same time, the MP Bakas did not even make it to the top 10 of the list, remaining 36th.
Speaking to the news portal lrytas.lt, Bakas said his position on the Seimas list resulted from a ranking of 25 party board members.
„Joking aside, I could have been ranked outside the party list altogether. That's a good thing, though.
The European elections showed that the voter values my work, especially in the public interest, much more highly – I was ranked in the top ten.
My colleagues in the party have made the following decision. I respect it. But the voters will have the last word,“ said Mr Bakas.
The name of Mr Bakas, who is serving his second term in the Seimas, has been in the media recently mainly because of the parliamentary commission he chaired that investigated the story of the State Security Department (VSD) whistleblower.
Meanwhile, In the Name of Lithuania and the party's Chairman, Skvernelis, have already managed to distance themselves from Bakas's actions in the Whistleblower's story.
For example, when President Gitanas Nausėda delivered his annual report in the Seimas last week, Bakas put up a banner outside his workplace saying, „President, isn't your conscience burdened by the whistleblower you betrayed?“
„We have an individual actor who acts independently. I do not approve of such actions and neither does a political party.“
Asked how he would explain his position on the list, Bakas said it would be difficult to speculate on this issue as the ranking was secret.
However, the politician admitted that this could be related to the Whistleblower's story.
„The Whistleblower's story was indeed not supported. Nevertheless, it seems that the public interest, human rights, and high standards in politics, which I try to do, are more important than a place on the list. At least for me, it is much more important“, he said.
Has it occurred to him to look to other parties where there would be more support and where his ideas would be more valued?
„Ideas are valued by people, by voters. You cannot serve a party or its interest and put it above the interest of the state, the public interest. I have tried to choose the public interest and defend it throughout my political career,“ Bakas said.
„Transparency in politics and the protection of human rights is a higher value than trying to please someone in a party,“ he added.
„We keep working.“
Lukas Savickas, the head of the party's electoral headquarters and the number two on the list, told the news portal lrytas.lt that „there is no need to interpret more than there is“.
„The vote of the board members took place, and it lasted three days. There were 170 people on the list, and out of 170 candidates, being in the top 30 was a good result.
Of course, it is not the first or the second ten, but to my knowledge, it is not the lowest result among the members of the Seimas,“ said Savickas.
Is Baka's place on the list related to his work on the Whistleblower story?
„We certainly did not have this kind of discussion at the Board meeting. According to the procedure we have adopted, there was such a ranking. Just like in an election, the results are what they are, and then we work on it,“ the MEP said.
The Democratic Union in the Name of Lithuania approved the party's list for the Seimas on Thursday.
The party's Chairman, Skvernelis, is first on the list, while MP Savickas occupies the second place. The next on the list are economist Jekaterina Rojaka, MP Linas Kukuraitis and Algirdas Butkevičius.
The list of the Democratic Union In the Name of Lithuania also includes newcomers to the Seimas. The Democrats will be running with Benjaminas Želvys, Head of Kaunas Musical Theatre, Rolanda Lingienė, epidemiologist, Nijolė Jagelavičienė, councillor of Vilnius City Municipality, and Rasa Pavarienė, Chairwoman of the Žvėrynas community.
