Nevertheless, Landsbergis emphasized he objected the bid to hold early general election.
"The situation is pitiful, Lithuania is made or at least shown to be incapable. This puts energy projects in mid-air, and there are opponents in and out. The president's proposal to have the parliament solve the problem of the minister whom the prime minister sees unacceptable is not the best one. The operation should have been fast, so that the minister and his party does not hold tight to the valued post," Landsbergis, member of the Political Committee of ruling Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats, told BNS.
He commented critically on Liberal and Center Union, one of the parties in the ruling coalition that delegated Palaitis, the minister who is currently under fire for sacking two top officers of the Financial Crimes Investigation Service.
"I see their attitude towards the prime minister (…) beyond decency and criticism. This also applies to the recent blackmail by Liberal Centrists – it is either our fellow or we destroy state projects. This is not cooperation, this is destruction," the MEP said.
In comment of the proposal made by the parliamentary Anti-Corruption Commission to sack Palaitis, Liberal Centrists' leader Algis Čaplikas said on 1 March that the decisions on the minister would be related to energy projects, hinting that "construction of the nuclear power plant and other energy projects were in the hands of the prime minister and the conservatives."
At the same time, Landsbergis expressed objection to the proposal made by Parliamentary Speaker Irena Degutienė to seek early general election.
"However, the spontaneous thought of the Seimas speaker to hold early elections is not the best solution. I object," he added.
"In the summer of 1992, during a similar situation of ministerial disobedience - that was beneficial to the Supreme Council opposition that was becoming the new majority - we had to make this compromise and hold early election. However, now they can still work, they do not need to undermine the government and its work," Landsbergis noted.
The head of the government proposed last Tuesday that President Dalia Grybauskaitė dismiss the interior minister, saying Palaitis made a mistake by firing the FCIS chiefs. The president, who left the minister in his post against the prime minister's will, said she did not want to take part in “pre-election disputes among coalition partners." Grybauskaitė said the dispute should be settled by political means at the Seimas.
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 the suspicions.
