Key reforms must be implemented in 2022, or else the current government will be declared a failure, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė told LRT TV.
The cabinet led by Šimonytė began its work in December 2021. After a year marked by the Covid-19, the migration crisis, and the Belaruskali transit scandal, the government’s approval ratings have hit record lows with only 17.3 percent support.
According to the prime minister, the government could still recover if it starts implementing the planned reforms in 2022.
Next year will be the last year to take important decisions, as the municipal and parliamentary election will overshadow the public space in 2023, Šimonytė said.
“I am very well aware that 2022 is essentially the last year when the government can take the crucial decisions. That will be our focus and the way to measure the success of this government,” Šimonytė told LRT TV.
“If at the end of 2022 those decisions have not been taken and the practical implementation of all the reforms is not in place, then we will simply have to say that we have failed,” she added.
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Among the necessary works, she mentioned reforms in education, civil service, science and innovation sectors, as well as reorganisation of the hospital network.
But in the words of Šimonytė, the current government would only resign if it lost the trust of the parliament Seimas.
“The democratic tradition says a very simple thing – a government which does not have support in the Seimas simply cannot exist,” the prime minister said.
Asked about the low approval ratings, Šimonytė said she did not expect that her cabinet would have to manage so many crises at once.
“I was expecting one crisis at a time, like [the financial crisis] in 2009. But in general, I understand the work of the government. I know what it depends on and how long you can work,” she said.
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