The National Association of Families and Parents poses questions to the presidential candidates

The National Association of Families and Parents represents parents and organizations that work with families and represent families. An active pre-election campaign for the President is the best way to get to know the candidates and find out their position on various political, social or other issues. The questions are addressed to all candidates.

“For the past few years, in the political debates taking place in Lithuania, there have been active discussions on issues related to the family institute. There is often a consensus on the duty of the state to protect and care for the family established in the Constitution. No one disputes the purpose of the family, which is established by Article 38 of the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania: “The family is the foundation of society and the state.”

However, more and more other questions arise, such as: which social formations deserve the family name and the corresponding state support? Or something Having familiarized ourselves with the list of candidates for the president of the Republic of Lithuania and in order to ensure the right of families to properly choose the candidate most favorable to the family institute, we are asking them to express a clear position on family policy issues throughout their election campaign. We also appeal to the National Broadcaster with a request to ask the candidates the following questions during the live debates:

· What do you think a family is?

· Do you think that all forms of cohabitation should have the same legal status and can we find a consensus in society regarding alternative legal regulations for cohabitation?

· Is there a need for a Ministry of Family in Lithuania, what possibilities do you see for its emergence?

· What concrete ways, solutions, proposals do you see to solve the demographic situation in Lithuania?

· What specific measures could you suggest to help young families?

· What three strategic goals would you put forward in family policy?

Many western countries have developed instruments that can be used to measure the effectiveness of political and financial decisions made, meanwhile, Lithuania has been living in a reform regime in various areas of the state for 30 years, but it is not clear how, if at all, the monitoring of reforms and various adopted laws is taking place. Why do you think the question of the necessity and emergence of such instruments has not been raised so far? What would you specifically suggest to do in this situation?

· Youth and addictions, youth mortality. What steps would make sense at the state level to achieve the best possible outcome for this problem?

· Do you think that 16 thousand Is the petition signed by the residents to stop the compulsory teaching of the Life Skills Program in Lithuanian schools a sufficient basis for reconsidering the decision made? What specifically would you recommend to be done to ensure the constitutional right of parents to choose the content of education according to their ethical and moral beliefs, when, in this particular situation, that choice is denied to parents?

· Education reform. How much longer will our children have to be the “guinea pigs” and hostages of this reform? What specifically would you, as the President, propose to do so that it would be good for our children to live and study in Lithuania?

· What do you think, in the next decade, does the family have the opportunity to remain the basis of our society and state, given the political situation that is now in Lithuania?”

The questions are signed by Violeta Vasiliauskienė, the chairwoman of the National Association of Families and Parents.