15 September 2009

 

The Seimas, having regard to the proposal of a group of Seimas members and guided by Article 218 of the Seimas Statute, resolved to dismiss Arūnas Valinskas from the office of the Speaker of the Seimas. The Seimas adopted the Resolution on the Dismissal of Arūnas Valinskas from the Office of the Speaker of the Seimas (draft No. XIP-1050 (2). The results of the secret balloting: 95 Seimas members voted for the dismissal, against – 20. Ballot papers issued – 124, found – 124, found valid – 115, invalid – 9.

 

Arūnas Valinskas held the office of the Speaker of the Seimas from the beginning of the term of the current Seimas – 17 November 2008.

 

Pursuant to Article 218 of the Seimas Statute, decisions concerning the dismissal of Seimas officials or heads of State institutions shall be adopted by secret ballot with a majority vote of more than half of all Seimas Members.

 

Having adopted Draft Resolution No. XIP-1050, the Seimas resolved to appoint Irena Degutienė, First Deputy Speaker of the Seimas, to temporarily act as the Speaker of the Seimas.

 

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The statement concerning the dismissal of Arūnas Valinskas from the office was signed by 31 Seimas members. The Seimas members, having regard to “<...> the facts supported by photographs about the meetings of the Speaker of the Seimas with the people related to organised crime groups and the information provided by the Seimas members about possible criminal relations of Speaker of the Seimas Arūnas Valinskas with criminal organisations <...>”, declare non-confidence in the Speaker of the Seimas and propose to dismiss him from the office.

 

Representative of the initiators of the dismissal and leader of the opposition Valentinas Mazuronis provided motives based on which the Seimas members declared non-confidence in Speaker of the Seimas. According to the leader of the opposition, the way of life Speaker of the Seimas Arūnas Valinskas leads, his behaviour, the way he presides over the Seimas are incompatible with the office of the Speaker of the Seimas that he is currently holding and damage the entire political system of the state, weaken the citizens’ confidence in the state, undermine the name and authority of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania as of an institution.

 

Speaker of the Seimas Arūnas Valinskas rejected the charges brought against him. “I have never worked as an operational officer, therefore, I was not in a habit of checking the past of the husbands of my wife's friends, I did not ask people to show their passports before they entered our home, I did not give a thought with whom talking I may be noticed in the events or taken a photograph. My mistake was that I was open with people, I did not divide them into the categories of good or bad. I am also charged with a possible forgery of signatures supporting my candidacy during the Presidential elections. It is true, I had reasons to think that signatures might have been forged, therefore, I immediately withdrew my candidacy and did not participate in the elections to the office of the President of Lithuania”, said Arūnas Valinskas.

 

Following the discussion the representatives of the Political Groups of the Seimas presented the decisions of the Political Groups concerning participation in balloting.