Lithuanian government resigns
Kyiv • UNN
The Lithuanian government, led by Gintautas Paluckas, decided to resign following questions about the prime minister's entrepreneurial past. Rimantas Šadžius will temporarily head the government until the president appoints a new prime minister.
The Lithuanian government, led by Gintautas Paluckas, decided to resign at a meeting on Monday, writes UNN with reference to LRT.lt.
Details
"Having decided to leave the post of Prime Minister, I announce that the nineteenth government of Lithuania is resigning," said Gintautas Paluckas, opening the meeting.
"It sounds, perhaps, a little dramatic, but I am resigning, and you will continue to work temporarily until the new prime minister decides what, how, and to what extent the changes will be," he noted.
Paluckas added that he would submit his resignation to the president on Monday.
Lithuanian Finance Minister Rimantas Šadžius, according to Elta, will be appointed interim head of the country's government. The finance minister replaced the head of government after a two-week vacation.
As reported by the BNS agency, Paluckas decided to resign after more and more questions began to be raised about his entrepreneurial past. In the event of the prime minister's resignation, the entire cabinet of ministers must resign. The law on the government stipulates that the president must be notified of the government's resignation on the same day after the cabinet of ministers resigns.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda will have to sign a decree accepting the government's resignation and instructing it to temporarily perform its duties until a new cabinet is appointed. The president will also have to appoint an acting prime minister.
From this moment and for no more than 15 days, Nausėda will have to submit a candidate for permanent prime minister to the Seimas for consideration.
The new prime minister will also be delegated by the Social Democrats, who have the largest faction in the country's parliament. The decision on the prime minister's candidacy will be made at a meeting of the party's presidium on Wednesday.
If the Lithuanian Seimas approves the new prime minister's candidacy, he must, no later than within 15 days, submit the new composition of the cabinet and the government program agreed with the president to the Seimas. The program must also be approved by a vote.
When the prime minister changes during this period, the coalition agreement of the three parties must also be adjusted, as it states that "the parties undertake to support the coalition government led by Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas and to act in accordance with this agreement and the government program," the publication writes.
The Democrats, who are part of the majority, do not rule out the possibility of demanding a change in the composition of the coalition, excluding the "Nemunas Dawn" party from it.
The BNS agency reported that Paluckas also decided to resign as party leader.
Temporarily, the leadership of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP) passed to the mayor of Jonava, Mindaugas Sinkevičius - one of the candidates for prime minister discussed by the LSDP board.
The LSDP leadership also discussed three other candidates: Minister of Social Security and Labor Inga Ruginienė, First Deputy Speaker of the Seimas Juozas Olekas, and Mayor of Vilnius District Robert Duchniewicz.
LSDP branches can also nominate candidates for prime minister until Tuesday.