According to sources of the portal lrytas.lt, Viktor Uspaskich, who has taken the party back into his own hands and is trying to preserve it, on Tuesday shook hands with the Coalition of Peace, which was formed before the European Parliament elections and which includes the Lithuanian Christian Democracy Party, led by Mindaugas Puidokas, and the Samogitian Party, headed by Irena Strazinskace-Glinskaite.
General Valdas Tutkus, aligned with Puidokas' political force, also plans to join this coalition in the parliamentary elections.
According to the portal lrytas.lt, the first number on the list is Uspaskich, the second—Puidokas, then Tutkus and Stasys Jakeliūnas, who previously ran for the Seimas with the Lithuanian Peasants' and Greens' Union and for the European Parliament with the Party of Lithuanian Regions, will be the next.
Jakeliūnas himself confirmed to lrytas.lt that he is number four on the list of this coalition. Why did he and the Party of the Regions part ways?
The Party of the Regions appeared too close to the presidential position. The topics regarding the international elections, i.e., the EP elections, differed. Still, during the election campaign and when we started to talk about the election programme, I felt that I could cause inconvenience to the Party of the Regions because my proposals might contradict the President's position,“ he explained to lrytas.lt .
Moreover, Jakeliūnas says his and the Peace Coalition's approaches to the war in Ukraine and „stopping the spread of hatred in Lithuania“ are particularly similar.
However, the portal lrytas. lt could not contact either the interim leader of the Labour Party, Uspaskich, Puidokas, or Tutkus on Wednesday.
However, at noon, the Labour Party itself, in a press release, revealed all the cards about the signed coalition agreement. It was reported that Uspaskich is taking the lead and has united all three political forces for the Seimas elections.
This coalition has the same name, Peace Coalition, and Uspaskich has been elected as its leader.
According to the press release, Uspaskich does not doubt that the formation of the coalition is just the beginning, as people's dissatisfaction with the current situation has reached its peak and changes in the country's political landscape are inevitable.
Uspaskich is convinced that if „in just a few days we have managed to reach such agreements and to join forces with different people who are united by a common determination to work for Lithuania and to bring about the necessary and expected changes in the country, then it will certainly be possible to bring about change in Lithuania“.
It is noted that the coalition will pursue ambitious goals in the October parliamentary elections.
In the past, Uspaskich hinted that he was not interested in any political office. According to sources of the portal lrytas.lt , the former MEP can still refuse the number one position on the list before the elections if he sees that the coalition is in danger of failing to get into the Seimas. He would not want to be associated with another failure.
As portal 15min reported on Monday, actor Žilvinas Tratas and Jolanta Blažytė, the owner of the Vikonda Concern and former spouse of Uspaskich, were photographed leaving the Labour Party's headquarters in Vilnius that day. It is not excluded that their names may also appear on the coalition list.
Earlier, Uspaskich told the portal lrytas.lt that his ex-wife would be a great leader of the list.
„It would be very nice if she would agree. She would be a good leader – she is educated, she has experience. But I know she doesn't want to. If Jolanta were to run, then I would not run,“ the interim leader of the Labour Party laughed when asked about the rumours that Blažytė might also run for the Seimas.
On Tuesday, Petras Gražulis also announced that a coalition was being formed for the Seimas elections.
The Union of Nation and Justice (centrists, nationalists), led by him, is joining forces with the Christian Union, led by Rimantas Jonas Dagis, the Centre of Professional Unions, led by Kęstutis Juknis, and the Lithuanian Family Movement, led by Raimondas Grinevičius.
On Monday, Gražulis also participated in a meeting with the coalition formed by Uspaskich but disagreed on a joint coalition.
„We tried to talk with the Labour Party and thought we would make a broad coalition. But unfortunately, we did not manage to do that. The Labour Party is going alone. We have a different approach to Ukraine based on the differences,“ Gražulis told the portal lrytas. lt on Wednesday.
The MEP said that he had not even reached the point of coordinating the positions on the list or other technical issues with Uspaskich: „No such coordination was reached. And after that, whether or not we would have agreed, I don't know.“
