According to them, the action in front of the Presidential Palace is aimed at expressing disapproval of the Head of State's decision to reject Sigitas Podėnas's candidacy for the post of Minister of the Environment and to appoint Ignas Hofmanas to head the Ministry of Agriculture (ŽŪM).
According to Ieva Budraitė, the leader of the Lithuanian Green Party, the decision to appoint Mr Hofmanas as Minister of Agriculture may only exacerbate the already persistent problems of environmental pollution and the protectionism of large farms.
„And now we see that a person has been appointed Minister of Agriculture who is precisely defending the interests of that polluting business or has defended them in the past. We can see that after his appointment, he is beginning to question the relevance of the environmentalists' demands or the scope of the currently in force,“ the politician told Elta.
„The president keeps saying he is for nature and keeps expressing his environmental stance, but this was the last straw that I can no longer trust the presidential institution,“ said one of the campaign organisers, Edgaras.
Rita, an environmentalist who came to the protest, took a similar position. According to her, the rejection of the former candidate for Minister of the Environment, Podėnas, and the appointment of Hofmanas, as Head of the Ministry of the Environment, shows that the Head of State is only interested in his interests. „For our President, his career is more important than anything else. I didn't expect anything else from him – he is just taking revenge for his 'jar' in the nature reserve“, a participant in the action told Elta.
On Wednesday evening, the President signed a decree appointing Povilas Poderskis as the new Minister of the Environment. The picketers' opinion of him is rather neutral, but it is noted that the new cabinet member has experience in the construction sector rather than the environment sector.
„It is difficult to say much about a person without knowing him, but this person has no experience in environmental protection. As we have seen from the media, he is a person who has worked more with construction coordination“, said Edgaras, a protest organiser.
„The mood may not be the best, but time will tell. (...) It doesn't depend much on our words who will be appointed. This is a fait accompli, post factum“, the activist lamented.
Protesters also oppose the Forestry Agency reform, excessive deforestation, increasing surface water pollution, and agricultural agglomeration, which increases the amount of fertilisers and pesticides used.
A couple of dozen activists gathered in Daukantas Square carrying placards calling for a balance of nature, a halt to deforestation and „forest crimes“, etc. They also built a bonfire and lit candles in front of pictures of various nature images.
Some of the participants not only gave speeches but also played music. Mindaugas, an environmentalist who played the gongs on the protest's side, said there has already been a lot of talk about environmental problems in the country. Still, other measures need to be taken if the situation remains the same.
„A lot of this kind of talk usually leads to nowhere, so I decided to just play along because I tried to talk, I tried to write letters – I tried everything, but...“ the protester said.
ELTA recalls that Remigijus Žemaitaitis-led Nemuno Aušra had nominated Sigitas Podėnas, the Head of the Nature Research Centre, for the Head of the Ministry of the Environment. Still, after a conversation with the President, his name was removed from the list of potential ministers submitted to the Head of State. At the same time, Ignas Hofmanas, the Head of the Lithuanian Agriculture Council, nominated by the Dawnbreakers, received a favourable decision.
On Wednesday evening, before the protests began, Nausėda confirmed Povilas Poderskis as the new Minister of the Environment.
