VILNIUS — Following the second failure Monday to vote in the coalition’s candidate for the parliamentary vice speaker’s position, Seimas member and former Minister of Health Algirdas Čaplikas warned Lithuania’s government is on its last legs.

The ruling coalition, which had 71 members until March (just over half of the Seimas, Lithuania’s parliament) now has only [private_supervisor]70 members after one of the conservative party’s members crossed the floor to the newly formed Christian party, which recently joined forces with the opposition. The coalition, headed Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius, has had to appoint a string of new ministers after four were forced to resign, including Čaplikas who recently quit from the health minister’s position in a corruption scandal.

Most recently the Seimas voted whether to make Liberal and Center Union member Jonas Liesys the vice speaker of the parliament, but the vote failed for the second time. The first time the vote failed, Seimas speaker Irena Degutienė said that not all coalition members had been present and that they must retake the vote.

“Of course, we have serious objections raised by the coalition members who had not voted for a coalition member. With such a stinking betrayal, a viable coalition can survive a month, maybe two, but after that there are no guarantees,” Čaplikas told members of the press.

“If some coalition members do not understand what they do or do not have to vote for, for our group leaders, of course they should say something at least … I assume that soon there will be opposition interpellations against any minister and other officials. This will cause the coalition vote to weaken and this doesn’t honor the coalition,” he said.

Prime Minister Kubilius said that to contemplate the current situation or the future of the coalition is nonsense, but admitted that an important decision had been undermined by the coalition’s inability to stick together. [/private_supervisor] [private_subscription 1 month]70 members after one of the conservative party’s members crossed the floor to the newly formed Christian party, which recently joined forces with the opposition. The coalition, headed Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius, has had to appoint a string of new ministers after four were forced to resign, including Čaplikas who recently quit from the health minister’s position in a corruption scandal.

Most recently the Seimas voted whether to make Liberal and Center Union member Jonas Liesys the vice speaker of the parliament, but the vote failed for the second time. The first time the vote failed, Seimas speaker Irena Degutienė said that not all coalition members had been present and that they must retake the vote.

“Of course, we have serious objections raised by the coalition members who had not voted for a coalition member. With such a stinking betrayal, a viable coalition can survive a month, maybe two, but after that there are no guarantees,” Čaplikas told members of the press.

“If some coalition members do not understand what they do or do not have to vote for, for our group leaders, of course they should say something at least … I assume that soon there will be opposition interpellations against any minister and other officials. This will cause the coalition vote to weaken and this doesn’t honor the coalition,” he said.

Prime Minister Kubilius said that to contemplate the current situation or the future of the coalition is nonsense, but admitted that an important decision had been undermined by the coalition’s inability to stick together. [/private_subscription 1 month] [private_subscription 4 months]70 members after one of the conservative party’s members crossed the floor to the newly formed Christian party, which recently joined forces with the opposition. The coalition, headed Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius, has had to appoint a string of new ministers after four were forced to resign, including Čaplikas who recently quit from the health minister’s position in a corruption scandal.

Most recently the Seimas voted whether to make Liberal and Center Union member Jonas Liesys the vice speaker of the parliament, but the vote failed for the second time. The first time the vote failed, Seimas speaker Irena Degutienė said that not all coalition members had been present and that they must retake the vote.

“Of course, we have serious objections raised by the coalition members who had not voted for a coalition member. With such a stinking betrayal, a viable coalition can survive a month, maybe two, but after that there are no guarantees,” Čaplikas told members of the press.

“If some coalition members do not understand what they do or do not have to vote for, for our group leaders, of course they should say something at least … I assume that soon there will be opposition interpellations against any minister and other officials. This will cause the coalition vote to weaken and this doesn’t honor the coalition,” he said.

Prime Minister Kubilius said that to contemplate the current situation or the future of the coalition is nonsense, but admitted that an important decision had been undermined by the coalition’s inability to stick together. [/private_subscription 4 months] [private_subscription 1 year]70 members after one of the conservative party’s members crossed the floor to the newly formed Christian party, which recently joined forces with the opposition. The coalition, headed Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius, has had to appoint a string of new ministers after four were forced to resign, including Čaplikas who recently quit from the health minister’s position in a corruption scandal.

Most recently the Seimas voted whether to make Liberal and Center Union member Jonas Liesys the vice speaker of the parliament, but the vote failed for the second time. The first time the vote failed, Seimas speaker Irena Degutienė said that not all coalition members had been present and that they must retake the vote.

“Of course, we have serious objections raised by the coalition members who had not voted for a coalition member. With such a stinking betrayal, a viable coalition can survive a month, maybe two, but after that there are no guarantees,” Čaplikas told members of the press.

“If some coalition members do not understand what they do or do not have to vote for, for our group leaders, of course they should say something at least … I assume that soon there will be opposition interpellations against any minister and other officials. This will cause the coalition vote to weaken and this doesn’t honor the coalition,” he said.

Prime Minister Kubilius said that to contemplate the current situation or the future of the coalition is nonsense, but admitted that an important decision had been undermined by the coalition’s inability to stick together. [/private_subscription 1 year]

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