Lithuania: Waste crisis emergency not declared, interim mayor appointed in Marijampolė

Valdas Tumelis, formerly the deputy mayor, will temporarily assume the mayoral duties in Marijampolė. This decision follows the Central Electoral Commission's (VRK) revocation of incumbent Mayor Povilas Isoda's powers, prompted by a Lithuanian Court of Appeal ruling that found Isoda guilty in a "check fraud" case. The election code mandates the removal of a mayor's powers upon a final conviction.

Tumelis, a Social Democrat, is expected to hold the position until the municipal elections next year. The VRK's decision underscores the legal consequences for elected officials convicted of crimes, impacting their ability to hold public office.

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such a scenario is not ruled out, but before that, it is necessary to exhaust all available means to manage the waste crisis.

In separate news, authorities have decided against declaring a statewide state of emergency due to the persistent waste crisis in Vilnius County. Despite this, the head of the National Crisis Management Center, Vilmantas Vitkauskas, indicated that such a scenario remains a possibility if all available measures to manage the crisis prove insufficient. The focus is currently on increasing waste incineration capacity severalfold.

Meanwhile, Seimas member Saulius Skvernelis, who is suspected of bribery, has been granted temporary permission to remove his electronic monitoring bracelet. General Prosecutor's Office representative Elena Martinonienė confirmed that while the pre-trial detention measure remains unchanged, a prosecutor authorized the temporary removal for justified reasons. Skvernelis has previously contested the measure and appealed the court's decision.

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the pre-trial detention measure has not been changed for the member of Seimas, but during its validity, with the prosecutor's permission, the device can be removed for a short time, for justified reasons.