Lithuania’s ruling party has announced that it will nominate Social Affairs Minister Inga Ruginienė as Prime Minister; she will replace Gintautas Paluckas, who resigned, writes Reuters.
Before taking office, Ruginienė, a 44-year-old Social Affairs Minister and former trade union leader, must pass a confidence vote in the Lithuanian parliament and win lawmakers’ support for her cabinet program.
Mindaugas Sinkevicius, the chairman of the Social Democratic Party, confirmed to reporters that the party is nominating Ruginienė for the prime minister’s position. Ruginienė led the Trade Union Confederation from 2018 to 2024, when she joined Paluckas’ cabinet. The minister told Lithuanian public media that
she is guided by the values of the left-wing Social Democrats.
The Social Democratic Party holds 52 of the 141 seats in the Lithuanian parliament and has formed a coalition with the center-left For Lithuania and the populist Nemunas Dawn. It is not yet known how coalition members view Ruginienė’s candidacy.
Paluckas announced his resignation on the 31st of July and officially submitted his resignation on the 4th of August. The former prime minister was prompted to resign by growing pressure from society regarding the transactions of a company he partly owns with his sister-in-law’s company. Currently, Finance Minister Rimantas Sadzius is leading the government temporarily until a new cabinet is approved.
The next Lithuanian parliamentary elections are scheduled for 2028.
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