International diplomatic opinion held that a strong authoritarian leader would provide internal stability, and that even during the earlier years of the republic Lithuania had not been genuinely democratic, since many essential freedoms were curtailed under martial law.
Internationale diplomater mente, at en stærk, autoritær leder ville sikre indenlandsk stabilitet, og mente ikke at Litauen under republikkens første år havde været et ægte demokrati, fordi undtagelseslove havde begrænset de demokratiske rettigheder.