Nine councillors split ruling faction in Vilnius district council

Nine members of the ruling Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania–Christian Families Alliance (LLRA-KŠS) faction have left the majority in Vilnius District Council and formed a new opposition faction, LRT reported.

At the end of a council meeting, faction member Robertas Rackiewiczius announced that the nine councillors were leaving the ruling majority and establishing an opposition group. He said they were protesting what they described as increasingly frequent corrupt decisions in the municipality and its companies, and wanted to promote transparent governance, democratic principles and proper representation of residents’ interests.

The new faction, named “Stop Corruption”, includes Rackiewiczius, Renata Sobieska, Marija Rekst, Zbignevas Sinkevičius, Ana Miliuškevič, Zigmontas Ždanovičius, Stanislavas Adamaitis, Miroslava Klim and Viktoras Bojarovičius. Sobieska was elected its leader.

Vilnius District Mayor Robertas Duchnevičius told BNS that the move could be a “game with democracy” or an attempt to set something apart. He said it remained unclear whether the split was based on genuine political differences. Otherwise, he said, the new faction’s members were “morally rotten” and had acted in a way that was “very undemocratic”.

Duchnevičius also raised concerns that the group might seek council positions reserved for the opposition, including roles on the Control Committee and Anti-Corruption Commission, in order to limit criticism. He did not rule out talks on a possible coalition between the Social Democrats and the breakaway faction, but said he had received no such proposal.

Vilnius District Council has 31 members. Before Friday, the LLRA-KŠS faction had 18 councillors. The council also includes seven Social Democrats and six members of the Centre-Right Coalition, made up of the Freedom Party, the Liberal Movement and the Homeland Union–Lithuanian Christian Democrats.