Marciulionis rejects seat in European Parliament

Sarunas Marciulionis, one of Lithuania's most famous former basketball players, decided on Tuesday to reject the seat he has won in last weekend's European Parliament (EP) elections.

Marciulionis, 54, who has won the seat on the list of the ruling Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union (LVZS), said he wanted to concentrate on sports projects dedicated to young and retired professionals.

"These projects have gathered momentum and have received huge interest from sports federations," Marciulionis was quoted as saying in an LVZS announcement.

According to Marciulionis, by rejecting his seat at the European Parliament and staying in Lithuania, he would be more useful to the country.

Marciulionis was second in LVZS's list of 22 candidates to the European Parliament. LVZS finished third in the country's European elections, winning 2 out of 11 seats allocated to the country.

His withdrawal means that his EP seat will be assumed by Stasys Jakeliunas, chair of Lithuania's Parliamentary Committee on Budget and Finance. He was third in LVZS's list.

Opposition parties have accused LVZS of exploiting Marciulionis's popularity to attract votes and tricking the voters with his withdrawal.

Before joining the race, Marciulionis was not involved in politics.

Marciulionis, one of the biggest Lithuanian basketball stars, was the first Soviet player to join the U.S. National Basketball Association (NBA). He played for the Golden State Warriors, the Seattle SuperSonics, the Sacramento Kings and the Denver Nuggets between 1989 and 1997.

He won the gold medal in the 1988 Summer Olympic Games in Seoul; silver and bronze medals in the European championships playing for the then Soviet basketball team; and later two Olympic bronze medals and one silver medal in the European championships with the Lithuanian national basketball team.

After finishing his basketball career, Maciulionis opened the first private basketball school in Lithuania. He was the first president of his country's national basketball league. In recent years, Marciulionis has been involved in the hospitality industry in Lithuania.