Vilnius Council coalition talks continue

The meeting was attended by Mayor-elect Remigijus Šimašius, Social Democrats Gintautas Paluckas and Juras Požela, Conservatives Mykolas Majauskas, Valdas Benkunskas and Gediminas Švilpa, a representative of the Lithuanian List Darius Kuolys, members of the party Order and Justice Juozas Imbrasas and Almantas Petkus.

It has transpired that five parties will form the ruling coalition in Vilnius.

“Even though talks about certain posts are already underway, yet partners give priority to harmonising programmes and upcoming tasks,” Šimašius told journalists.

According to him, negotiations are ongoing and have not ended yet. “We did not pose shaking each other’s hands, this means that we have not fully agreed yet. However, we are negotiating about work,” said the new mayor. According to him, the parties share similar opinions about the objectives and the municipality’s activities, its transparency and decentralisation.

Šimašius said that partners have expressed their expectations regarding certain positions in the office, but nothing has been agreed with certainty yet. He confirmed that the ruling coalition will be constituted of five parties.

The final decision regarding the coalition should be made in the second half of next week as each party will have to hold internal discussions.

The main parties in the coalition of Vilnius City Municipality will be the Liberal Movement and the conservative Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats (TS-LKD). Meanwhile the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania, headed by Valdemar Tomaševski, and the Lithuanian Liberty Union (Liberals), headed by outgoing Mayor Artūras Zuokas, have not been invited to coalition talks.

The Liberal Movement has 16 seats in the future city council, the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania and the Russian Alliance the Block of Valdemar Tomasevski has 10, the Homeland Union has 8, the Lithuanian Liberty Union (Liberals) 6, the Social Democratic Party 4, the Lithuanian List has 4 , the party Order and Justice has 3.