This time, the competition is more fierce than before. 57-year-old Andrius Kubilius, who has headed the party for the last ten years, has been challenged by the conservative patriarch himself, 80-year-old Vytautas Landsbergis who had stood at the helm of the Homeland Union for ten years before Kubilius. Also running for the position is MP Valentinas Stundys, 52, who is the least likely victor of the three. Another contender, 53-year-old MEP Laima Andrikienė, has withdrawn from the competition this week.
Andrius Kubilius is never wrong
The current leader of the Homeland Union is also the election favourite. Kubilius rejects the criticism levied against him by his former mentor Landsbergis.
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| Andrius Kubilius |
– Professor Landsbergis has compared the current situation in the party to stagnant water. Perhaps he sees the situation differently than you – or does the TS-LKD indeed need change?
– This is not how I read Professor's words, that's not what I think he meant. I believe there are many aspects that can be discussed about in the party, consider what has and what has not been accomplished, mistakes that we've made. Very many young professionals are joining the party. The water can perhaps seem stagnant from the outside, but in fact, there's plenty of new life in the party.
– But isn't there any substance in Landsbergis' claims that the party is going into unnecessary compromise, behaves opportunistically?
– On issues that matter, we act with decisiveness and integrity. Over the last four years, we have been very principled on the issue of energy independence – something we introduced into government's policies – and we were also very serious in our efforts to drag the country out of a deep economic recession by making very unpopular financial decisions.
– The Professor also reproaches the leadership for not ensuring enough opportunities for young people in the party.
– The first point I'd like to make is that we had many young volunteers during the last elections who helped with the campaign, we saw many young voters who voted for us. I've never seen so many young people in Antakalnis constituency (where Vilnius University student residence halls are located and Kubilius ran for a parliament seat, - 15min) voting for me before.
I can also see a whole bunch of growing young leaders who already exhibit great potential. For instance, Agnė Bilotaitė, Paulius Saudargas, Dainius Kreivys, Andrius Kupčinskas. The young conservatives are very strong, with Adomas Bužinskas who is also fighting for energy independence.
I am happy that so many young people agreed to work in our Shadow Cabinet, we have a special Young Hawks programme to nurture future leaders. Nurturing the new generation of conservatives is one of our tasks and we are doing it.
– You have said time and again that the party has many outstanding personalities – how come you don't have a candidate for presidential election?
– We have many personalities who would make for a great president. I have no reservations whatsoever about (former speaker of parliament) Irena Degutienė, (former defence minister) Rasa Juknevičienė, people of the young generation. We supported President Dalia Grybauskaitė in her 2009 campaign. So when we discuss next year's presidential election, there are many factors to take into consideration.
– You have been very keen on pointing out the mistakes made by the current Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius, yet according to polls, he is one of the most popular politicians in the country. Could you have underestimated your rival?
– The new prime minister and his government are working much more slowly, compared to the beginning of our cabinet's term. Sure, they have a much more favourable circumstances that we had. I feel that the prime minister is avoiding taking a leadership role and making decisions on important issues. I think that the current Government lacks a conceptual grasp of what it must do. I can only repeat the words of late Margaret Thatcher: the politician who only cares for his popularity will not achieve anything.
The task for Professor Vytautas Landsbergis
Vytautas Landsbergis, formerly chairman of the Supreme Council-Reconstituent Seimas and now a member of the European Parliament, believes he still has two good years ahead he can spare for changing the party and the entire country.
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| Vytautas Landsbergis |
Landsbergis answers some of the questions sent by readers of 15min.
– You are already in your venerable years. Wouldn't it be a drawback if you were elected to lead the party?
– I have had high-level duties until now and no one has any doubts about my abilities. Nor have I ever doubted that I can work. I see ahead of me a two-year term as the chairman of the party. I see things I'd like to change. So I am convinced that I can manage during these two years. Will I be able to tackle the problems that have accumulated? And we can see a regularity here – some people are threatened by change, while others think that things shouldn't and cannot go on as they are now.
– Why have you decided to run for the post now – what were you doing before?
– The situation is much worse, politically and spiritually, now than it was before. Last time, when two solid people were running for the post, there would have been a potential for some shift, had Irena Degutienė won. There was no sense of urgency for me to run as well. Whereas this time, I felt I would be wrong not to come forward with an alternative.
– You keep saying that the conservative party must give a chance to the young generation. Is the situation so bad that it is you, an octogenarian, who must speak up for the youth?
– It might not be entirely bad that it is not the young generation who ask for a voice, but someone who is not from their midst, someone like me. Looking at Lithuania from the outside, I can see hope in the young generation that has come of age in an independent Lithuania open to the world. Many of them have already seen the world, they have brought new ideas, they wonder why we cannot run things here the way they saw it done in countries where they've studied. They are full of ideas. I'd like very much for there to be more people like that, with innovative and European ideas, for them to take the reins in their hands.
– You are very critical of Kubilius, saying that the party under his leadership has lost touch with the people, has become heavily bureaucratic, even autocratic, that it gives up values for political gains. However, when you were the conservative leader, the same criticism was levied against you.
– I do not wish to talk about my own or someone else's personal drawbacks. I am not in the mood to discuss legends about myself – I'd rather put them aside. I do remember how I was – I was critical towards some people. But one cannot indulge evil just to preempt criticism against oneself. Why was I critical? Because I saw that I had to be.
– Kubilius has publicly stated that the conservatives should endorse Dalia Grybauskaitė, the current president, in next year's presidential election. What do you think?
– What makes a good candidate? We could find people who could be presidents – but would they be good, the best of the possible candidates? Do we have to endorse someone just because he is one of our own?
– Social democratic leader Butkevičius was always seen as a weak politician, yet once he became the prime minister, his ratings went up, he is now one of the most popular politicians. Do you think he might be a stronger adversary than previously assumed?
– Is he a rival who needs to be defeated, assaulted daily? Everyone can accidentally say something odd, something that makes no sense. Key decisions are what matter, responses to major challenges. Butkevičius has not faced such challenges yet. Ambiguities are temporary, everything will be clear once the important issues come up.
– What do you think about Lithuania's energy independence?
– Independence from what? Gazprom? In other words, the Kremlin? It (Gazprom) is not a business company, it is primarily a political tool (for Russia) to reign far and wide, especially over the neighbours. For us, energy independence would mean free choice. We might not be like Norwegians, who have both gas and highland waterfalls for unlimited electricity generation, but we should stick to the principle: we must resist the rule from the East over use through energy. We are on the right path. I hope that Butkevičius' Government will not choose the path of servitude, that it will seek independence for Lithuania.
– Why did you defend Neringa Venckienė (an MP with the Path of Courage party, player in the infamous paedophilia case who is currently being tried for defying court orders)? Do you think it was a mistake?
– If I find a situation ambivalent, if I don't like something and say it out loud – it does not mean that I am now a member of Venckienė's party. And as to the party that Venckienė – or someone else behind her – has founded, I've said from the very beginning that it was a mistake, that it was aimed at fragmenting the right electorate. And it succeeded to an extent – the party got some 100 thousand votes and had they stayed with us, Kubilius might have continued as the prime minister.
