Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda on Tuesday accepted Education Minister Jurgita Siugždinienė’s resignation.
“In accordance with the Constitution and taking into account the prime minister’s proposal, the head of state signed a decree accepting Šiugždinienė’s resignation and appointing Justice Minister Ewelina Dobrowolska as acting minister of education, science and sport,” the President’s Office said.
Šiugždinienė resigned following public doubts about the transparency of the use of payouts she received while serving as a Kaunas councillor.
According to the statement, Dobrowolska will act as education minister from May 24 until a new minister is appointed.
Nausėda underlined that education must remain a state policy priority and the government must implement changes to ensure access to quality education for everyone.
The president also called for the resignation of two other ministers – Finance Minister Gintarė Skaistė and Culture Minister Simonas Kairys – who are also involved in the payout scandal.
On Monday, Skaistė announced she had repaid part of the money, almost 14,000 euros, she received while working at the Kaunas Council. She says she used all the money transparently during her time at the municipality, but she cannot justify her expenses with receipts for the mentioned amount.
Meanwhile, Kairys says he could repay the money he received, but he does not feel to have done something wrong, adding that the amounts involved were relatively small and logical.
The payout situation has led the ruling block to initiate snap elections. If the Lithuanian parliament does not back the early elections initiative, Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė vows to step down.
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