LITHUANIA: Ousted Lithuanian president Mr Rolandas Paksas was recovering in hospital yesterday from the strain of being impeached, while his countrymen pondered the dubious legacy of a former stunt pilot laid low by links to an alleged Russian arms dealer.
Mr Paksas (47) was being treated for high blood pressure as Lithuania's press took stock of a few scandal-filled months ahead of EU entry on May 1st.
"A historic clean-up," screamed the front-page headline of Lietuvos Rytas, the country's most popular daily newspaper.
But the contrary reaction of the Respublika newspaper highlighted the divisions in Lithuanian society that Mr Paksas' tumultuous reign only exacerbated. "A fiasco of democracy," Respublika howled, lambasting parliament for sacking a self-proclaimed man of the people who pledged to root out top-level corruption.
Mr Paksas maintains he was the victim of an elitist conspiracy to oust an "outsider" who ran an unashamedly populist campaign, flying a stunt plane under bridges and pledging to help the old and poor.
He enjoyed great support in the provinces, but made little effort to sway the intelligentsia and establishment. Mr Paksas floundered amid allegations over his relationship with Mr Yuri Borisov, a Russian millionaire who was accused of having links to the mafia.