Ecology, Legislation, Lithuania

The respective resolution, passed in a vote of 69 to 47 with 4 abstentions, closes the interpellation procedure initiated against Treciokas, a member of the Order and Justice, a ruling coalition party, by the Seimas opposition.

Povilas Gylys, an Order and Justice MP, told the parliament on Tuesday that the interpellation had been aimed at harming the party ahead of next October's general elections.

The conservative Homeland Union–Lithuanian Christian Democrats says that the environment minister lied both to the general public and to the parliament's Anti-Corruption Commission about the circumstances surrounding the adoption of a government resolution eliminating the so-called "resort protection zones".

According to Conservative MP Agne Bilotaite, Tuesday's vote on the minister's interpellation answers shows the ruling coalition's "political morality".

In the interpellation initiated by the opposition Liberal Union and Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats, Treciokas was asked to provide explanations as to the government resolution on the resort protection zones and on the alleged pressure from Ricardas Malinauskas, mayor of the spa resort Druskininkai, to pass this decision.