The news was confirmed to Elta by MEP Viktor Uspaskich, the founder of the Labour Party.
“There were other candidates but we picked Gedvilas because he is a deputy Seimas speaker and supervises our education programme. This is why we have decided to give all the cards to him,” MEP Uspaskich said in a telephone interview.
According to him, the prime minister is satisfied with Gedvilas as a candidate, and so should be President Dalia Grybauskaitė.
“I think the candidacy should be satisfactory and I do not even want to think what to do if it is not,” the MEP said.
PM positive about the candidate
Lithuanian Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius says he’s positive about the Labour Party’s candidate for education and science minister, MP Vydas Gedvilas.
“I evaluate this candidate positively. He’s an experienced politician, has a doctoral degree. He used to work as a deputy rector of the Lithuanian Sports University. He spent quite a number of years working in the parliamentary Committee on Education, Science and Culture,” the prime minister told journalists on Wednesday.
In his words, the Special Investigation Service has one day to submit a conclusion whether Gedvilas is suitable for the position.
“Out of the presented candidates, I think that Gedvilas is the best one and I am ready to work with the best candidate acceptable for me as the prime minister is responsible for the government agenda,” the prime minister said.
Gedvilas, 55, served as speaker of the Lithuanian Seimas from November 2012 until October 2013, and is now a deputy speaker.
He’s been a member of the Labor Party since 2004 and is working in the parliament for a third term.
Gedvilas graduated from the Lithuanian State Institute of Physical Education (now the Lithuanian Sports University) in 1981.
He was head coach of the Lithuanian women’s national basketball team in 1996-2002 and led the team to winning the 1997 European Women Basketball Championship.
Be the first to comment