VILNIUS — The current coalition will not only continue to rule in the Lithuanian parliament, but its thin majority shall expand Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius said on Monday.

A failed attempted to throw the balance of power into the hands of the opposition has evidently failed after the Liberal and Center Union, which were rumored to be leaving, stayed put in the ruling coalition, which now only holds a 70-seat plurality in the Seimas. The coalition’s 71-seat majority was [private_supervisor]bolstered by the Liberal and Center Union, then taken away as a member left and joined the newly-formed Christian party, which now makes up part of the opposition.

“I see a very simple development of the political situation. In my opinion, all the bold initiatives to create an alternative coalition have failed. There are very good prospects on which to build out coalition up,” Kubilius told journalists on Monday.

It has not been mentioned yet who is expected to join the coalition. To regain its formal majority, it only needs one member of the 141-seat parliament to join. Though the Peasant Popular Union supports the coalition in particular votes, they are not formal members of the coalition.

Even at the most intense moments of conjecture over the coalition’s future, Kubilius stated that he was confident it would remain intact.

How that will last remains to be seen, considering that the country’s 2011 budget may be just as painful and unpopular as 2010’s. Despite his poker-faced determination and recent optimism on the economy, Kubilius has waited until now to release new policy information that taxes may have to rise in 2011 if the country wants to bring down its government budget deficit to satisfy the Maastricht criteria by 2014, when Kubilius thinks the country could adopt the euro.

The budget deficit last year was a commendable 8.9 percent. Last year the government made a raft of extreme austerity measures in an attempt to steady the ship. The measures were largely successful and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) among others have said they approve of the government’s strategy.

The rate of tax increases and further wage cuts for 2011 are being “considered” by the government. Kubilius stated that there would be no further reductions in social benefits and pensions, though pensions may be taxed in future, an idea the government got from the IMF.

“I was worried about the question of how next year we would reduce the deficit from 8 percent of gross domestic product to 5 percent,” Kubilius told journalists on his first working day back in Lithuania after his trip abroad. “I don’t see the economy improving so fast that it would add money to the budget. It doesn’t allow us to consider tax cuts.” [/private_supervisor] [private_subscription 1 month]bolstered by the Liberal and Center Union, then taken away as a member left and joined the newly-formed Christian party, which now makes up part of the opposition.

“I see a very simple development of the political situation. In my opinion, all the bold initiatives to create an alternative coalition have failed. There are very good prospects on which to build out coalition up,” Kubilius told journalists on Monday.

It has not been mentioned yet who is expected to join the coalition. To regain its formal majority, it only needs one member of the 141-seat parliament to join. Though the Peasant Popular Union supports the coalition in particular votes, they are not formal members of the coalition.

Even at the most intense moments of conjecture over the coalition’s future, Kubilius stated that he was confident it would remain intact.

How that will last remains to be seen, considering that the country’s 2011 budget may be just as painful and unpopular as 2010’s. Despite his poker-faced determination and recent optimism on the economy, Kubilius has waited until now to release new policy information that taxes may have to rise in 2011 if the country wants to bring down its government budget deficit to satisfy the Maastricht criteria by 2014, when Kubilius thinks the country could adopt the euro.

The budget deficit last year was a commendable 8.9 percent. Last year the government made a raft of extreme austerity measures in an attempt to steady the ship. The measures were largely successful and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) among others have said they approve of the government’s strategy.

The rate of tax increases and further wage cuts for 2011 are being “considered” by the government. Kubilius stated that there would be no further reductions in social benefits and pensions, though pensions may be taxed in future, an idea the government got from the IMF.

“I was worried about the question of how next year we would reduce the deficit from 8 percent of gross domestic product to 5 percent,” Kubilius told journalists on his first working day back in Lithuania after his trip abroad. “I don’t see the economy improving so fast that it would add money to the budget. It doesn’t allow us to consider tax cuts.” [/private_subscription 1 month] [private_subscription 4 months]bolstered by the Liberal and Center Union, then taken away as a member left and joined the newly-formed Christian party, which now makes up part of the opposition.

“I see a very simple development of the political situation. In my opinion, all the bold initiatives to create an alternative coalition have failed. There are very good prospects on which to build out coalition up,” Kubilius told journalists on Monday.

It has not been mentioned yet who is expected to join the coalition. To regain its formal majority, it only needs one member of the 141-seat parliament to join. Though the Peasant Popular Union supports the coalition in particular votes, they are not formal members of the coalition.

Even at the most intense moments of conjecture over the coalition’s future, Kubilius stated that he was confident it would remain intact.

How that will last remains to be seen, considering that the country’s 2011 budget may be just as painful and unpopular as 2010’s. Despite his poker-faced determination and recent optimism on the economy, Kubilius has waited until now to release new policy information that taxes may have to rise in 2011 if the country wants to bring down its government budget deficit to satisfy the Maastricht criteria by 2014, when Kubilius thinks the country could adopt the euro.

The budget deficit last year was a commendable 8.9 percent. Last year the government made a raft of extreme austerity measures in an attempt to steady the ship. The measures were largely successful and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) among others have said they approve of the government’s strategy.

The rate of tax increases and further wage cuts for 2011 are being “considered” by the government. Kubilius stated that there would be no further reductions in social benefits and pensions, though pensions may be taxed in future, an idea the government got from the IMF.

“I was worried about the question of how next year we would reduce the deficit from 8 percent of gross domestic product to 5 percent,” Kubilius told journalists on his first working day back in Lithuania after his trip abroad. “I don’t see the economy improving so fast that it would add money to the budget. It doesn’t allow us to consider tax cuts.” [/private_subscription 4 months] [private_subscription 1 year]bolstered by the Liberal and Center Union, then taken away as a member left and joined the newly-formed Christian party, which now makes up part of the opposition.

“I see a very simple development of the political situation. In my opinion, all the bold initiatives to create an alternative coalition have failed. There are very good prospects on which to build out coalition up,” Kubilius told journalists on Monday.

It has not been mentioned yet who is expected to join the coalition. To regain its formal majority, it only needs one member of the 141-seat parliament to join. Though the Peasant Popular Union supports the coalition in particular votes, they are not formal members of the coalition.

Even at the most intense moments of conjecture over the coalition’s future, Kubilius stated that he was confident it would remain intact.

How that will last remains to be seen, considering that the country’s 2011 budget may be just as painful and unpopular as 2010’s. Despite his poker-faced determination and recent optimism on the economy, Kubilius has waited until now to release new policy information that taxes may have to rise in 2011 if the country wants to bring down its government budget deficit to satisfy the Maastricht criteria by 2014, when Kubilius thinks the country could adopt the euro.

The budget deficit last year was a commendable 8.9 percent. Last year the government made a raft of extreme austerity measures in an attempt to steady the ship. The measures were largely successful and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) among others have said they approve of the government’s strategy.

The rate of tax increases and further wage cuts for 2011 are being “considered” by the government. Kubilius stated that there would be no further reductions in social benefits and pensions, though pensions may be taxed in future, an idea the government got from the IMF.

“I was worried about the question of how next year we would reduce the deficit from 8 percent of gross domestic product to 5 percent,” Kubilius told journalists on his first working day back in Lithuania after his trip abroad. “I don’t see the economy improving so fast that it would add money to the budget. It doesn’t allow us to consider tax cuts.” [/private_subscription 1 year]

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