„If they put forward Paluckas as prime minister, this would be the first prime minister in Lithuania’s history who had been convicted of corruption. (&) We cannot even imagine that a person convicted of corruption could be the prime minister,“ Karbauskis told the radio station Žinių radijas on Friday.
In 2012, Paluckas, former head of Vilnius City Municipality’s Administration, was found guilty over opaque public procurement.
Karbauskis does not rule out that a coalition between the LSDP and the Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats (TS-LKD) is possible as he called Paluckas „a very close friend“ of TS-LKD leader Gabrielius Landsbergis.
On Wednesday, the LSDP presented its election programme and party’s leader MEP Vilija Blinkevičiūtė hinted that if Social Democrats win elections to the Seimas, then she would form the composition of the Government together with the president.
President Gitanas Nausėda previously mentioned both Blinkevičiūtė and Paluckas as potential prime ministers. The latter has confirmed to ELTA that he is ready to head the Government in case of victory in parliamentary elections on 13 October.