„There is a Government Programme which contains the Social Democrats' ambitious spending plans, and if we try to calculate the cost of those commitments which are not electoral but are in the government plan (...), these are things that require grave and, apparently, painful decisions,“ Čmilytė-Nielsen told „Žinių Radijas“ on Friday.
„One gets the impression that, as time moves closer and closer to work, and perhaps to some painful decisions that the Social Democrats keep mentioning, like tax increases, one of those partners, Nemuno Aušra, Žemaitaitis, wouldn't mind raising tensions in the coalition so as not to have to undertake the unpleasant things that are being talked about in the promises,“ she said.
The leader of the Liberal Movement says she does not recall a situation in which, immediately after the signing of the Government Programme, the coalition partners started to interpret the document's content in a contrary way.
„This is a Government Programme, a serious document; it is not an election promise by Vilija Blinkevičiūtė; it is what is put on paper after the elections. (...) I was trying to remember if there had ever been such a thing as three leaders shaking hands, signing a document, and a few weeks later trying to interpret it differently. I don't remember such a case,“ said Čmilytė-Nielsen.
The former Speaker of the Seimas said that despite the ruling majority's criticism of the former Government, the draft state budget was adopted without major amendments. She said this was a sign that the previous Government had not made any major mistakes in formulating the country's public finance plan.
„It shows that things are basically on a very good track in the state if you can afford to come and basically waste time. Even the budget did not have to be substantially adjusted; there were only a few essentially cosmetic adjustments, even though before the elections, there was talk that this budget was an atomic bomb, but after the elections, it turned out differently“, she said.
ELTA recalls that the Seimas adopted the State Budget Plan for 2025–2027 in December.
In 2025, the state budget will have revenues of EUR 17.98 billion and expenditures of almost EUR 23.1 billion. The original draft foresaw the same level of revenue and expenditure of EUR 23.02 billion (now EUR 78.5 million higher).
The budget is expected to grow by EUR 1 billion (5.9%) in revenue and almost EUR 2.5 billion (11.7%) in expenditures compared to 2024.
Government debt in 2025 is expected to be around 44.4% of GDP, with a deficit of 3%. In the original draft, the debt was 43.2% of GDP, but the deficit has been kept at the same level as the Maastricht criterion of borrowing at 3% of GDP has been reached.
Under the Maastricht criteria, EU countries, including Lithuania, must keep their budget deficits below 3% of gross domestic product (GDP) and their debt below 60% of GDP.
Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, Chair of the Liberal Movement, says that Remigijus Žemaitaitis, leader of Nemuno Aušra, is deliberately seeking conflicts with both President Gitanas Nausėda and Seimas Speaker Saulius Skvernelis.
„I have the impression that he is looking for conflicts with his partners (...) – both with the Speaker of the Seimas, Saulius Skvernelis, by irritating him in every way, and now also with the President. With the two Heads of State, apparently in an attempt to maximise his role,“ Čmilytė-Nielsen told Žinių Radijas on Friday.
„I don't remember such rhetoric towards the President from one of the coalition partners in many years,“ she said.
However, the politician believes that Žemaitaitis' intentions to withdraw from the ruling coalition do not enjoy much support in the Nemuno Aušra group in the Seimas.
„I would guess that there is not much support for this decision in the Nemuno Aušra group. Because people who have become chairmen of influential, important committees, chairmen of commissions and jumped into the Seimas on the wave of „dawn“ may not be in any hurry to go to the opposition, where it may not be so fun to be for four years,“ Čmilytė-Nielsen reflected.
„I would guess that Remigijus Žemaitaitis simply doesn't have the support of his people, and that's why the bravado and the current frustration is erupting“, she added.
However, the politician points out that in some cases, it may even be preferable for the Social Democrats to have a coalition partner like Žemaitaitis.
„Sometimes I even have the impression that it is quite convenient for the Social Democrats to have someone like Žemaitaitis because the contrast with him is so stark that any other mistake or careless word completely fades away when all the attention is focused on one particular person,“ she said.
After President Gitanas Nausėda said this week that he sees the desire of Nemuno Aušra's leader Žemaitaitis to „rock the coalition boat“, Žemaitaitis rejects such considerations and says that the Head of State cannot forget his grievances when talking about the situation in the ruling majority.
ELTA recalls that tensions in the ranks of the ruling majority, which had just begun its work, arose after the chairman of Nemuno Aušra said he would question his fate in the coalition if his candidacy for the post of deputy Chairman of the Seimas was not submitted soon.
However, the coalition partners had previously said that the leader of Nemuno Aušra could only be nominated for the position of Deputy Speaker of the Seimas once his legal problems were resolved. However, Žemaitaitis believes that once his legal immunity has been lifted, there are no more obstacles to his running for the position of Deputy Speaker of the Seimas.
The Coalition Council discussed the situation. The politicians promised to continue discussing it and to find possible solutions.
However, last Friday, Žemaitaitis told LRT TV that the position of the Speaker of the Seimas delegated to the party Vardan Lietuvos (In the Name of Lithuania) could go to the political force he represents. According to the Nemuno Aušra politician, such a move would be considered if the current leader of the Seimas, the Democrat ,Skvernelis, refused to put forward his candidacy for the position of the Seimas vice-president.
„If Remigijus Žemaitaitis is not nominated for the vice-presidency of the Seimas, then the party could nominate a completely different person for the presidency of the Seimas, so that the position returns to the position of Nemuno Aušra,“ Žemaitaitis told LRT television on Friday.
