"Our position is that, if a proposal on early elections is submitted, we will support it, although, to tell the truth, such a proposal would be a desperate attempt by the ruling majority to cover up their inability to work," Valentinas Mazuronis, elder of the Order and Justice political group, told BNS following the meeting.
According to Lithuania's Constitution, early general election can be held by the parliament's decision adopted by 3/5 of the vote, i.e., 85 members of Lithuania's 141-seat parliament.
Mazuronis also said the majority of representatives of the three parties would not vote for expressing no-confidence in Minister of Interior Affairs Raimundas Palaitis, if an interpellation procedure were launched against him.
"The majority believe that partners of the ruling coalition should sort things out among themselves, and we'll not take part in their fight," Mazuronis said.
Speaker of the Seimas Irena Degutienė proposed on Monday to call early general election this summer after President Dalia Grybauskaitė rejected Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius' proposal to dismiss Palaitis.
Grybauskaitė believes the ruling coalition and the government should stay in power until the end of the term.
"In my opinion, the coalition and the government is capable of working until the end of the term and should do so. Merely seven months are left. It is up to them to decide whether they want to work together. If they are incapable of this, they should solve the dispute by political means at the parliament. Considering the circumstances in this dispute among the coalition partners, I do not support any of them," she stated on Monday.
Last Tuesday, Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius submitted a proposal to the president to dismiss the interior minister, saying he had made a mistake by firing two top officers of the Financial Crimes Investigation Service.
Palaitis dismissed the two top leaders of the Financial Crime Investigation Service, Vitalijus Gailius and Vytautas Giržadas, on 15 February, following a recommendation from the State Security Department. The department was investigating possible leaks of information about Snoras bank shortly before its nationalization.
The parliamentary Anti-Corruption Commission also carried out an investigation into the move and ruled that the minister could have had personal or party reasons to have Gailius and Giržadas out of the service. Palaitis has denied such accusations.
