Lithuania PM Down but Not Necessarily Out
May 2, 1999 - 0:0
VILNIUS Lithuanian Prime Minister Gediminas Vagnorius resigned on Friday, forced out of the premier's post for the second time in his political career over his abrasive style. However analysts said a comeback was always possible for the 41-year-old Vagnorius, who is no stranger to the ups and downs of political life. Vagnorius, whom President Valdas Adamkus urged Parliament to sack last week for his authoritarian style, first took office in January 1991 amid a bloody Soviet crackdown aimed at crushing the Baltic state's independence movement.
As prime minister he launched market reforms after guiding Lithuania back to independence and gained popularity among pensioners, whom he promised to compensate for millions of dollars of deposits lost in the Soviet bank sector breakup. But his rapid privatization program alienated many and came under criticism as living standards plummeted in the severe economic depression that followed the Soviet collapse.
Vagnorius himself was derided as being arrogant in the heavy-handedness of early privatization and he was forced to resign after his coalition split and he lost parliamentary support. The shock victory of the former communist democratic Labor Party in the 1992 parliamentary elections swept his Conservative Party into opposition for a four-year stint, during which he repositioned himself as a rational rather than radical reformer.
In the 1996 parliamentary elections he re-emerged, shaking off the image of his early days. "He was already known in 1991 and 1992 as an authoritarian leader and when he came back people saw...that he had changed, he had grown up," said journalist Arturas Rachas. This paved the way for a landslide win for the Conservatives and Vagnorius renewed his scheme to refund the lost Soviet-era period deposits.
Problems began when scandals emerged from the privatization process which was accelerated to pay for the deposit compensation and Vagnorius returned to his old form with the help of a strong parliamentary majority. "He didn't consult anybody, he just presented laws to the Parliament. There was a lot of discontent in the business and financial communities," said analyst Margarita Starkevichiute. After months of thinly-veiled criticism, during which the govenment's popularity eroded, President Valdas Adamkus called openly for Vagnorius' removal, although he did not favor new elections.
In a live television address announcing his resignation, Vagnorius admitted some errors of his style. "Maybe sometimes we were excessively demanding and possibly tried to impose stricter order too quickly and thus faced greater political resistance and lower popularity," he said. Although polls showed as many as 60 percent of Lithuanians wanted his cabinet to resign, compared to Adamkus's 88 percent approval rating, analysts say it is too early to count Vagnorius out.
Last week, Oarliament resoundingly backed him in a non-binding resolution of support, and his Conservative Party holds 68 of the 138 seats in Parliament, while the two-party ruling coalition has 81 seats. "If he retreats now he can still make a comeback," said Rachas. (Reuter)
As prime minister he launched market reforms after guiding Lithuania back to independence and gained popularity among pensioners, whom he promised to compensate for millions of dollars of deposits lost in the Soviet bank sector breakup. But his rapid privatization program alienated many and came under criticism as living standards plummeted in the severe economic depression that followed the Soviet collapse.
Vagnorius himself was derided as being arrogant in the heavy-handedness of early privatization and he was forced to resign after his coalition split and he lost parliamentary support. The shock victory of the former communist democratic Labor Party in the 1992 parliamentary elections swept his Conservative Party into opposition for a four-year stint, during which he repositioned himself as a rational rather than radical reformer.
In the 1996 parliamentary elections he re-emerged, shaking off the image of his early days. "He was already known in 1991 and 1992 as an authoritarian leader and when he came back people saw...that he had changed, he had grown up," said journalist Arturas Rachas. This paved the way for a landslide win for the Conservatives and Vagnorius renewed his scheme to refund the lost Soviet-era period deposits.
Problems began when scandals emerged from the privatization process which was accelerated to pay for the deposit compensation and Vagnorius returned to his old form with the help of a strong parliamentary majority. "He didn't consult anybody, he just presented laws to the Parliament. There was a lot of discontent in the business and financial communities," said analyst Margarita Starkevichiute. After months of thinly-veiled criticism, during which the govenment's popularity eroded, President Valdas Adamkus called openly for Vagnorius' removal, although he did not favor new elections.
In a live television address announcing his resignation, Vagnorius admitted some errors of his style. "Maybe sometimes we were excessively demanding and possibly tried to impose stricter order too quickly and thus faced greater political resistance and lower popularity," he said. Although polls showed as many as 60 percent of Lithuanians wanted his cabinet to resign, compared to Adamkus's 88 percent approval rating, analysts say it is too early to count Vagnorius out.
Last week, Oarliament resoundingly backed him in a non-binding resolution of support, and his Conservative Party holds 68 of the 138 seats in Parliament, while the two-party ruling coalition has 81 seats. "If he retreats now he can still make a comeback," said Rachas. (Reuter)