Would you buy a used Lada from this man?
For those of you wondering why Vladimir “Mad Vlad” Romanov has been relatively quiet lately vis-à-vis his formerly incessant tinkering, toying and messing around with his professional sport teams, Žalgiris Kaunas basketball and famed Scottish football club Heart of Midlothian among them, this may be the answer. As it turns out, Romanov will be forming his own political party, one that will “fight for the country’s sport, culture and art,” as “these areas have been abandoned.”
A Romanov/party representative was quoted in Delfi.lt as explaining that “the party will be neither left nor right. Let’s say, on the center axis,” while promising the traditional better life for Lithuanians.
Before a political party may be allowed to participate in national elections, 1,000 citizens listed as members. Lithuania-based TV3 News reported yesterday that Romanov is, “let’s say,” encouraging his employees in various business enterprises to sign up. The currently nameless party will hold its inaugural meeting on Sunday at … yep, Žalgiris’ arena.
And while the entrance of this “miracle” into Lithuanian national politics may appear darkly humorous from the outside, others aren’t chuckling at all. Political analyst/journalist Gintaras Aleknonis called the move “sinister.”
Citing the recent collapse of Bankas Snoras AB under a debt of over LT 4 billion (approximately Є1.16 billion/$1.54 billion) and its subsequent renationalization, Aleknonis expressed some concern that a guy who owns a majority share in the troubled Ūkio Bankas. “…what would happen if some bank collapses and the party protects the bank?” he speculates. “Political power – I think it is very dangerous.”
Shout out to Y., BallinEurope’s ever-dependable source for news on all things Vladimir Romanov, for the tip.
