Liberal leader accuses ruling Social Democrats of abandoning left-wing principles
The leader of Lithuania’s opposition Liberal Movement, Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, has criticised the ruling Social Democratic Party for losing sight of left-wing values, stating that most of its members “have long forgotten what left-wing principles and values mean,” state broadcaster LRT reports.
Speaking at a party council meeting in Molėtai on Saturday, Čmilytė-Nielsen claimed the Liberals now occupy a central role in Lithuania’s political system, arguing that stable coalitions ensuring liberal democracy would be “impossible without us.” She contrasted her party’s position with what she described as a broader political landscape marked by scandals and internal divisions.
“Looking at the parties in the Seimas, apart from the Liberals, there isn’t a single one not shaken by major or minor scandals and torn apart by internal conflicts,” she said. She framed the current moment as a critical test for democracy, asking: “How will we find a way to speak with people whose grievances are being exploited and amplified by radicals? How will we convince those who still fall for Inga Ruginienė’s crude populism—that squandering money is true freedom, as if there were no tomorrow?”
Čmilytė-Nielsen warned that Lithuania has never before had a government as “incompetent and irresponsible” as the current one, led by the Social Democrats. She questioned whether the crises caused by the ruling coalition might push society into either chaos or apathy—both of which, she suggested, could threaten liberal democracy itself.
The Liberal leader also highlighted an upcoming “marathon” of four elections between this autumn and 2029, a period she said would test the party’s strength. She claimed the Liberals now hold their strongest-ever position, with political analysts ranking them among Lithuania’s three dominant political forces. “We clearly demonstrate our identity at both the national and regional levels,” she said.
The party council adopted a resolution on “the state and cultivation of liberal democracy,” assessing the current political situation and defining the Liberals’ stance on democratic values. The Liberal Movement holds 13 seats in the 141-member Seimas.