VILNIUS — Seimas member Arūnas Valinskas called President Dalia Grybauskaitė a boba, the Lithuanian language approximation of “old hag” after she stated her opposition to Valinskas becoming culture minister.

The National Resurrection Party decided that Valinskas, the party leader, is the best candidate for the minister of culture after Valinskas spearheaded a campaign to force the current culture minister Remigijus Vilkaitis to resign or have the prime minister sack him two weeks ago. Vilkaitis has [private_supervisor]withdrawn from National Resurrection and said he would resign when he had finished the work he had started.

Valinskas’ outburst is unlikely to sway Grybauskaitė’s mind, as the president needs to approve any the candidacy of a minister before he or she can assume the post. Grybauskaitė said that ousted former Speaker of the Seimas has neither had the skills nor the public approval to be minister of culture.

Valinskas thinks that because he had offended Grybauskaitė in the past, she was an “insulted old hag,” which led her to throw out his candidacy.

“I can tell you straight and you can even quote me: we need not the insulted old hag’s position [nor] the insulted old hag’s opinion,” Valinskas, who is head of his party told the Baltic News Service.

Valinskas’ statement is an unusual breach of decorum in Lithuanian politics, as typically the president is sometimes criticized but not personally insulted by parliament members.

Political career on the rocks

Valinskas is new to politics and said that if the jobs in government were given out on terms on popularity, that Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius should soon lose his job given that his approval ratings in polls have been low lately.

Valinskas argued that he was the best choice for the post given that he has worked in the show business up until entering politics in 2008. Valinskas has already been forced out of one position in the Seimas. He was the Seimas speaker — which is considered to be the third most important job in politics — until his alleged connections with Kaunas gangsters made him resign from the post.

When asked whether this would mean that his party would part ways with the ruling coalition, which Valinskas had threatened if he were not allowed to be culture minister, he said he would not take Grybauskaitė’s statement to the press for it but wait for the official letter of rejection.

The coalition is on shaky ground, only holding 70 seats in the parliament from 141, and would likely fall if another partner pulled out.

National Resurrection will still have to present another candidate for the culture minister’s post because under the coalition agreement, that post as well as the environment minister are assigned to the party. [/private_supervisor] [private_subscription 1 month]withdrawn from National Resurrection and said he would resign when he had finished the work he had started.

Valinskas’ outburst is unlikely to sway Grybauskaitė’s mind, as the president needs to approve any the candidacy of a minister before he or she can assume the post. Grybauskaitė said that ousted former Speaker of the Seimas has neither had the skills nor the public approval to be minister of culture.

Valinskas thinks that because he had offended Grybauskaitė in the past, she was an “insulted old hag,” which led her to throw out his candidacy.

“I can tell you straight and you can even quote me: we need not the insulted old hag’s position [nor] the insulted old hag’s opinion,” Valinskas, who is head of his party told the Baltic News Service.

Valinskas’ statement is an unusual breach of decorum in Lithuanian politics, as typically the president is sometimes criticized but not personally insulted by parliament members.

Political career on the rocks

Valinskas is new to politics and said that if the jobs in government were given out on terms on popularity, that Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius should soon lose his job given that his approval ratings in polls have been low lately.

Valinskas argued that he was the best choice for the post given that he has worked in the show business up until entering politics in 2008. Valinskas has already been forced out of one position in the Seimas. He was the Seimas speaker — which is considered to be the third most important job in politics — until his alleged connections with Kaunas gangsters made him resign from the post.

When asked whether this would mean that his party would part ways with the ruling coalition, which Valinskas had threatened if he were not allowed to be culture minister, he said he would not take Grybauskaitė’s statement to the press for it but wait for the official letter of rejection.

The coalition is on shaky ground, only holding 70 seats in the parliament from 141, and would likely fall if another partner pulled out.

National Resurrection will still have to present another candidate for the culture minister’s post because under the coalition agreement, that post as well as the environment minister are assigned to the party. [/private_subscription 1 month] [private_subscription 4 months]withdrawn from National Resurrection and said he would resign when he had finished the work he had started.

Valinskas’ outburst is unlikely to sway Grybauskaitė’s mind, as the president needs to approve any the candidacy of a minister before he or she can assume the post. Grybauskaitė said that ousted former Speaker of the Seimas has neither had the skills nor the public approval to be minister of culture.

Valinskas thinks that because he had offended Grybauskaitė in the past, she was an “insulted old hag,” which led her to throw out his candidacy.

“I can tell you straight and you can even quote me: we need not the insulted old hag’s position [nor] the insulted old hag’s opinion,” Valinskas, who is head of his party told the Baltic News Service.

Valinskas’ statement is an unusual breach of decorum in Lithuanian politics, as typically the president is sometimes criticized but not personally insulted by parliament members.

Political career on the rocks

Valinskas is new to politics and said that if the jobs in government were given out on terms on popularity, that Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius should soon lose his job given that his approval ratings in polls have been low lately.

Valinskas argued that he was the best choice for the post given that he has worked in the show business up until entering politics in 2008. Valinskas has already been forced out of one position in the Seimas. He was the Seimas speaker — which is considered to be the third most important job in politics — until his alleged connections with Kaunas gangsters made him resign from the post.

When asked whether this would mean that his party would part ways with the ruling coalition, which Valinskas had threatened if he were not allowed to be culture minister, he said he would not take Grybauskaitė’s statement to the press for it but wait for the official letter of rejection.

The coalition is on shaky ground, only holding 70 seats in the parliament from 141, and would likely fall if another partner pulled out.

National Resurrection will still have to present another candidate for the culture minister’s post because under the coalition agreement, that post as well as the environment minister are assigned to the party. [/private_subscription 4 months] [private_subscription 1 year]withdrawn from National Resurrection and said he would resign when he had finished the work he had started.

Valinskas’ outburst is unlikely to sway Grybauskaitė’s mind, as the president needs to approve any the candidacy of a minister before he or she can assume the post. Grybauskaitė said that ousted former Speaker of the Seimas has neither had the skills nor the public approval to be minister of culture.

Valinskas thinks that because he had offended Grybauskaitė in the past, she was an “insulted old hag,” which led her to throw out his candidacy.

“I can tell you straight and you can even quote me: we need not the insulted old hag’s position [nor] the insulted old hag’s opinion,” Valinskas, who is head of his party told the Baltic News Service.

Valinskas’ statement is an unusual breach of decorum in Lithuanian politics, as typically the president is sometimes criticized but not personally insulted by parliament members.

Political career on the rocks

Valinskas is new to politics and said that if the jobs in government were given out on terms on popularity, that Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius should soon lose his job given that his approval ratings in polls have been low lately.

Valinskas argued that he was the best choice for the post given that he has worked in the show business up until entering politics in 2008. Valinskas has already been forced out of one position in the Seimas. He was the Seimas speaker — which is considered to be the third most important job in politics — until his alleged connections with Kaunas gangsters made him resign from the post.

When asked whether this would mean that his party would part ways with the ruling coalition, which Valinskas had threatened if he were not allowed to be culture minister, he said he would not take Grybauskaitė’s statement to the press for it but wait for the official letter of rejection.

The coalition is on shaky ground, only holding 70 seats in the parliament from 141, and would likely fall if another partner pulled out.

National Resurrection will still have to present another candidate for the culture minister’s post because under the coalition agreement, that post as well as the environment minister are assigned to the party. [/private_subscription 1 year]

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