BNS: Lithuanian president regrets failure of referendum on N-plant lifespan extension
Updated 2008-10-13
VILNIUS, Oct 13, BNS - Lithuanian President expressed regret over the population's failure to take the opportunity to support the government in the talks with the European Union (EU) on the extension of operations of the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant (INPP).At the same time, the president refrained from comments on the outcome of the general elections.
"The president regrets that the population missed the chance to state its support to Lithuania as a nuclear country. They missed the opportunity to support our representatives who are holding negotiations with Brussels on the most appropriate solution to compensation of lack of energy after
Lithuania's decommissioning of the nuclear facility," Adamkus' spokeswoman Rita Grumadaite told BNS on Monday morning.
She reminded that the president was rather skeptical about the referendum, however, "this was the decision of the Seimas and, in the president's opinion, people were to take part in the referendum to make it successful and witness that Lithuania needs to remain a nuclear state."
The president's spokeswoman did not comment on the results of the elections, saying any comments were premature. Adamkus has also not yet planned any meetings with representatives of the leading parties in the first round of the polls.
"This is the choice of voters, the president will work with the persons who will be elected to the parliament. At the moment, no meetings with any party leaders have been planned. You know it is still difficult to talk about the winning parties. Final results of the ballot will probably not be clear after calculation of all votes cast in the first stage of the election," Grumadaite told BNS.
The referendum on the extension of Ignalina operations failed with the turnout being some 2 percent lower than prescribed in legislation.
Meanwhile, the general elections in the multi-mandate district are accomplished, with the Homeland Union - Lithuanian Christian Democrats bagging the highest percentage of votes, followed by the newly-founded showbiz National Resurrection Party and the Order and Justice Party.
Under Lithuanian laws, 70 parliamentarians are elected in multi-mandate voting, with another 71 winning mandates in single-mandate voting. The second round of the polls in single-mandate voting is scheduled for Oct. 26.
According to preliminary data, the second round will not be needed in four single-mandate districts only.
