Is the verdict against Sinkevičius a verdict against the Social Democrats? An assessment of what lies ahead for the party and the mayor
2024 m. rugsėjo 21 d. 16:35
Lrytas.lt
Political analysts believe that if the Lithuanian Court of Appeals upholds the decision of a lower instance and deprives the Mayor of Jonava Mindaugas Sinkevičius of the opportunity to work in state institutions for three years, it will not be a significant blow to the Social Democratic Party ahead of the Seimas elections. According to them, some voters were expecting such a court ruling.
„We have seen repeatedly how court verdicts or even the Constitutional Court's conclusions on oath-breaking do not cause too much emotion among voters, especially if it is about a politician whom a part of the society is quite sympathetic to,“ Rima Urbonaitė, a political scientist at Mykolas Romeris University (MRU), told Elta on Thursday.
„I don't think it will be a huge blow for the Social Democrats. Of course, for the politician himself, it is a forced suspension of his career. But he will probably have a chance to come back. Besides, there is nothing to stop people having a second chance. It will be the electorate's will if Sinkevičius himself wants to return after three years,“ she explained.
Ainius Lašas, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts at Kaunas University of Technology (KTU), also believes that Sinkevičius can return to politics.
„It will also depend on the party's attitude and how they react to this case. If the party's attitude towards the court's decision is sceptical, then I think the gates will be open for him to return,“ the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts at KTU said.
„This news and the court's decisions were already there before; voters have often heard about Sinkevičius' problems. The news that the Court of Appeal has upheld the previous decision is not shocking. I don't think that this case will now bring about a turning point in society,“ he stressed.
It is a signal to other political parties as well
According to Mr Lašas, the court's verdict sends a signal to the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP) and other political forces.
„In principle, the signal is sent to all political parties in general because a huge number of politicians are likely to have committed similar manipulations and violations,“ he stressed.
„The reactions of the Social Democrats are as if they have received an exceptionally severe punishment. However, we understand that all these trials in the so-called cheque history are just beginning, and Sinkevičius is one of the first swallows. I think this is a message to all other parties whose politicians are on their way to the trials or have just started the trials,“ Urbonaitė reiterated.
She said the LSDP's communication on this issue was also predictable.
„We will certainly see a lot of things, so I find the communication of the Social Democrats a bit strange. But it does not surprise me. It was expected that it would be said that the court's position is respectable, but in a way, the victim's story will be shaped,“ the MRU political scientist stressed.
„The halo of victimhood has ever lulled no politician,“ she assured.
ELTA recalls that the Lithuanian Court of Appeal on Thursday upheld the sentence of Jonava mayor Sinkevičius. He was convicted of abuse of power, falsification of documents or disposal of a forged document, and embezzlement of property.
On 27 May, the Kaunas Regional Court fined the mayor of Jonava EUR 12,500 and banned him from working in the civil service for three years. The mayor did not admit his guilt.
The Court of Appeal's decision came into force immediately, but the parties will have three months to appeal to the Lithuanian Supreme Court.
As previously reported, Sinkevičius, previously identified as a possible future Prime Minister by LSDP members, was ranked number one on the list of candidates. However, the politician received an unfavourable court ruling and was found guilty, ending up at the last place on the list—141.
Based on the data collected during the pre-trial investigation, the Special Investigation Service (STT) officials have charged Sinkevičius with possible property damage of EUR 1,487 to the Jonava District Municipality Administration for 2019–2023.
Last year, following suspicions about the transparency of the use of funds allocated for the activities of a municipal councillor, the Mayor of Jonava, M. Sinkevičius, announced that he was suspending his membership in the LSDP. In addition, the Lithuanian Association of Municipalities has suspended Mr Sinkevičius as Head of the association.
