Druskininkai appoints Violeta Grigorienė as interim mayor

Violeta Grigorienė will serve as interim mayor of Druskininkai municipality until next year’s regular municipal elections, LRT reports. The municipality’s council appointed her on Monday, with 20 members voting in favour.

Modestas Vitkauskas, from the same political group, was appointed deputy mayor.

“Everything remains as it was. There will not be a single day’s break,” Grigorienė said after her appointment, adding that residents should not notice changes in the municipality’s policies or internal disputes.

A new mayor will not be elected in Druskininkai because less than a year remains before the regular direct mayoral elections. The interim mayor will serve until next spring’s elections for municipal councils and mayors.

The powers of R. Malinauskas were revoked after the Court of Appeal last week upheld his conviction. The court found the politician guilty of bribery, giving bribes, influence peddling and illicit enrichment, and imposed a 60,000-euro fine. The ruling took effect immediately but can still be appealed to the Supreme Court of Lithuania.