According to the politician, such decisions were not coordinated with him as the leader of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP) 's electoral staff. Therefore, he hopes to receive answers from the LSDP chair and the party's communications department.
Recently, posts on Facebook showing support for Mr Urban by Ms Blinkevičiūtė and other politicians have appeared.
„I am sure that while working in the Seimas, Waldemar will properly represent your interests and ensure that the voice of the residents of the Riešė district is heard,“ stated Blinkevičiūtė.
Officially, the LSDP has agreed to support the candidates of the Democratic Union Vardan Lietuvos (In the Name of Lithuania) and the Lithuanian Peasant and Greens’ Union (LVŽS) in the second round of the Seimas elections. In the constituencies where these political forces will compete together in the re-vote, the LSDP has decided to adopt a neutral position.
Duchnevičius: it was a surprise for me
In the municipal council and mayoral elections in March 2023, Mr Urban was the main competitor of the then-candidate Mr Duchnevičius. At that time, to prevent the LLRA-KŠS from dominating the Vilnius district, Duchnevičius was supported by representatives of many political forces and the politician's victory in the mayoral elections was given a resounding name in the public domain – „the miracle at Riešė“.
When Elta asked about Blinkevičiūtė support for his former rival, Duchnevičius admitted that it was a surprise for him.
„It surprised me because we did not coordinate such endorsements or anything like that in the headquarters. It is possible that it was discussed at the level of the party chairmen,“ the Vilnius district mayor told Elta.
„The word of the party Chairwoman – I don't fully understand whether it was coordinated in an orderly way. I have asked the communication department, but my position remains unchanged – we are sticking to our common working line. If you can see, there are no statements from me in the public domain“, he said.
„I would also like to get some answers from my colleagues,“ the Social Democrat added.
Another Social Democrat, Kęstutis Vilkauskas, also supported Mr Urban. Mr Duchnevičius pointed out that at the constituency level, it is up to the candidates to agree on who they help in the re-vote.
„In general, the position is the same. And if it was discussed among themselves, I really cannot answer what each one does because we have to look at many things all over Lithuania; we cannot look at all the constituencies,“ the politician said.
However, the mayor noted that when assessing such support, it should be understood that parliamentary and local elections are different. Moreover, the Social Democrat doubts that support expressed through specific social media posts can significantly change the course of an election.
„I don't make too much of it because voters make up their minds and know who they want to vote for. And those donations where there is only a text message will not win the elections,“ he concluded.
Head of the LSDP's communication department: the support was coordinated
ELTA contacted the LSDP's communications department to clarify the reasoning behind the decision to support Urban's candidacy in the single-mandate constituency of Riešė.
Justinas Argustas, Head of the Party's Communications Department, informed that the support for the LSRA-KŠS was agreed with the Social Democratic Chairwoman.
„It is in this single-member constituency that Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, as the party chair, supports the candidacy of Waldemar Urban, not the candidate put forward by the Conservatives. This was agreed“, Argustas told Elta.
On Sunday, in the re-vote for the parliamentary seat, Urban will compete with Daiva Ulbinaite, a representative of the Conservatives. In the first round, Mr Urban received 22.34% of the vote, while his opponent received 21.8%.
