Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė on Friday submitted to President Gitanas Nausėda an updated composition of the new cabinet of ministers. She proposes to replace Agriculture Minister Kęstutis Navickas and Health Minister Arūnas Dulkys.
Šimonytė proposed that Kazys Starkevičius, chairman of the Seimas Committee on Economic Affairs, be appointed as agriculture minister, and Deputy Health Minister Aurimas Pečkauskas be appointed as health minister.
According to the proposal, 12 other ministers would remain in office.
Ministers in Lithuania are appointed and dismissed by the president on the prime minister’s nomination.
“First, I would like to point out that I have confidence in all the ministers currently serving, and that all of them could continue until the end of the government’s mandate,” Šimonytė told a press conference on Friday.
She said she had no complaints about the work of Navickas or Dulkys, but “it would be a shame if the time left to complete the work of the term of office was wasted on bickering and excuses”.
“Both I and the entire government have always prioritised and will prioritise constructive work for the benefit of Lithuania and not any kind of wrestling,” Šimonytė said.
Nausėda re-appointed Šimonytė as prime minister on July 22 and, according to the law, tasked her with forming the cabinet within 15 days.
The cabinet is being re-appointed because the Lithuanian constitution obliges the prime minister to resign during the inauguration of the new president. Re-elected in May for a second term, Nausėda was sworn in earlier this month.
During the presidential election campaign, Nausėda said he wanted a government reshuffle. Health Minister Dulkys and Agriculture Minister Navickas were among the most criticised by the president and his team lately.
According to Frederikas Jansonas, the president’s chief communications adviser, Nausėda is pleased that his arguments for the necessary changes in the cabinet have been heard.
“The president is pleased that the prime minister has heard constructive arguments, plans to meet the two potential new ministers early next week, and will then make a final decision,” the adviser told BNS on Friday.
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