During a discussion with “Žinių radijas” on Friday, V. Čmilytė-Nielsen addressed concerns regarding a current Seimas member, Mr. Baranov, seeking re-election.
She outlined a procedural issue where, if he is successfully re-elected, another party colleague would subsequently be elected from the list. Čmilytė-Nielsen questioned the necessity and appropriateness of this process, suggesting that if the goal was genuinely to serve the public, the party member slated to be elected from the list should instead seek to run for office directly. She acknowledged that opposing arguments often cite existing laws and constitutional provisions as permitting the action.
However, she countered this by arguing that the intent of the legislation was fundamentally different from its application. According to her statement, the laws were formulated for political maneuvering rather than for the populace, and the Constitution was established for the people, not for political expediency. Čmilytė-Nielsen stated that any reasonable observer would find it questionable for an already serving Seimas member to seek re-election under these circumstances.
She argued that such actions risk misleading the voters. Furthermore, she characterized the situation as undermining the credibility of the younger generation within the Social Democratic party. The core of her critique centered on the perceived gap between the formal rules and the ethical expectations owed to the voters, suggesting that the current path was not in the best interest of the constituents.
Topics: #voters #elected #not
