Members of the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania-Union of Christian Families (LLRA-KŠS), a party with an electoral base among Lithuania's Polish-speaking minority, are leaving, complaining of the rigid power structure and missed opportunities.
The original publication is available in Polish.
LRT.lt spoke to former and current members of LLRA-KŠS. Most of them did not want to give their names for fear of being ostracised by their colleagues. The party's chairperson Waldemar Tomaszewski, as well as the party's representative in the Seimas, Rita Tamašuniene, did not respond to requests for comments.
LLRA-KŠS received just 4.97 percent of the vote in the 2020 parliamentary elections and now has three MPs in the Seimas. The party continues to have its base of support in the country’s regions bordering the Belarusian border. LLRA-KŠS and its leader have previously been criticised for allegedly displaying pro-Russian views.
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Beginning of the end?
"Many came to the party full of ideas and hope. We wanted to change Lithuania and the situation of Poles in the country for the next generations," said an interviewee.
"Election night was the last straw. It highlighted the unfair agreements," said one former member. "You only have to look carefully at those who have received mandates."
He claimed to have had many conversations with Tomaszewski, but they were fruitless.
"Contrary to appearances, we don't talk much in the party. You can never be completely sure about anything," said another former party member.
"Leaving the party is not the same as leaving your [civil servant] job. I left the party, but was immediately asked to 'voluntarily' vacate my position in office," said another former party member. "After many years of experience, I have concluded that what is good for the party is not necessarily good for Poles in Lithuania."
"I already have a job. I have also received invitations from several parties to join their ranks," added another person.
'Sovietised Poles'
"Everybody says the same thing: we spent too many years in the party, I should have left earlier,” said another former party member. “I spent my best years in the LLRA-KŠS.”.
"There is also low pay in the party, Tomaszewski is not a generous employer. Today I realise that the world is bigger, that it doesn't fit into a party bubble," he added.
"My decision to leave the party was influenced by a certain event. One of the Polish schools in our area was threatened [with closure] so I went to the party leader of that area and asked for help. I heard that his children were grown up and that he didn't care much about education. He did not help. My children are adults too, but that’s not the point. I realised that this party has no future," he said.
The former party members say Tomaszewski is not open to dialogue.
"He doesn't listen to anyone, no one can influence him. He has built a whole empire, so he feels great,” he said. “People say he is in a bubble. Now I see it too – everyone is afraid of him."
Former party members agree that the current situation in the LLRA-KŠS is the beginning of the end. "People get disillusioned and leave. Nobody can rehabilitate the party,” a former party member said.
One of the few people who have the confidence of party members and its Polish partners is Rita Tamašunienė, a former Lithuanian Interior Minister and now a member of parliament.
"However, everyone understands that Tomaševski will not give up power willingly, even to her,” said a former party member. "I have a small hope that losing next year's elections, which nobody doubts will happen, will make him think twice."
Publicist and historian Rimvydas Valatka said the defection of individuals from the party meant nothing.
"Even if 70 to 80 percent of the party's members were to leave the party, neither the party's principles nor the percentage of the party's membership obtained during the elections would change. It is a one-man party made up of former Sovietised Poles,” said Valatka.
The shrinking number of “Sovietised Poles” and the war against Ukraine are responsible for the party’s decreasing membership, he added.
"The new generation [of ethnic Poles] is oriented first and foremost towards Europe and Poland. They are not interested in Russia. But Tomaszewski continues to rely on Soviet nostalgia,” Valatka said.
Just like nationalist parties in Lithuania for Lithuanians, parties catering to minorities in the country have no future, Valatka claimed.
"It is normal for some Poles to vote for the Liberals, others for the Conservatives and others for the Social Democrats. Each party should, in turn, strive to have Polish members,” he said.
"Lithuania's policy in the Vilnius Region is still stupid, based on a false linguistic nationalism. If it had been otherwise, I think the [party] would have disappeared some 10 or 15 years ago," Valatka added.
Mariusz Antonowicz, a political scientist and lecturer at the Institute of International Relations and Political Science at Vilnius University (TSPMI), said members of the LLRA-KŠS were disappointed.
"[Tomaszewski] is stuck in 1995. Today he operates according to the same scheme - the Lithuanians are the enemy and the Poles must join forces with the Russians to fight them. That is absurd," said Antonowicz.
The political analyst said the voting trends have changed and today there are alternatives to the LLRA-KŠS.
"We have a social democrat, Robert Duchniewicz [elected in Vilnius District], and Ewelina Dobrowolska from the Freedom Party [as the Justice Minister], who have already achieved a lot in dealing with the problems of Poles in Lithuania," said the political scientist.
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Polish-Lithuanian relations are moving in a good direction, added Antonowicz.
"Integration between Poland and Lithuania is also deepening. We are building roads and developing energy links. There is cultural, political and military cooperation between the two countries. LLRA-KŠS cannot offer anything in this context. So why should Poles in Lithuania fall out of this context and why should they want any kind of confrontation between Poland and Lithuania?" Antonowicz said.
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