Order and Justice approves election candidate list which excludes party’s leader Paksas

The council of the Order and Justice party finalized its list of candidates to run for parliament in single-seat constituencies.

The party, which is a member of the ruling coalition, has decided not to have a candidate in Vilkaviškis which is the constituency of the incumbent Social Democratic Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius.

The leader of the party, MEP Rolandas Paksas, is not on the candidate list, as he has been barred from running for elected office since his impeachment as president in 2004.

MP Petras Gražulis, the chairman of the party’s group at parliament, will seek re-election in Gargždai District.

Julius Panka, the leader of the controversial far-right Nationalist Union, will run as an Order and Justice candidate in Žirmūnai District of Vilnius.

Šilutė District has been entrusted to Deputy Speaker Kęstas Komskis, while MP Remigijus Žemaitaitis will be running in Pietų Žemaitija.

Environment Minister Kęstutis Trečiokas will be the party’s candidate in Telšiai.

The general elections to the Lithuanian Seimas are to take place in October.