Remigijus Žemaitaitis, leader of the Nemunas Dawn party, said Thursday he has presented candidates for the posts of environment and energy ministers to coalition partners and President Gitanas Nausėda, but declined to disclose their names.
“We agreed not to name the candidates today. The coalition partners and the president are informed, we shared ideas about who could take the posts. We will comment next week,” Žemaitaitis told reporters after a meeting of coalition leaders with Nausėda at the presidential office.
He said the environment and energy ministers are unlikely to be appointed by September 23 as previously planned, which means the new government will also postpone its oath of office.
However, Žemaitaitis noted that the government’s programme is expected to be approved.
Describing Thursday’s talks as “constructive and good,” he added: “Now we will return to the communities with certain decisions and reflections, and then we will see.”
Government program up for revision
Meanwhile, Social Democratic Party chairman Mindaugas Sinkevičius said after Thursday’s meeting that the new government is now expected to take its oath of office next week, as previously planned, but only in October.
Speaking after a meeting with President Nausėda, Sinkevičius told reporters the government’s program could still be sent back for revisions.
“We plan to have the swearing-in in October,” he said. “We have time, we want to arrange a full government. The program may return for improvement – various processes may take place. It is unrealistic to have decisions next week.”
So far, 12 of the 14 ministerial posts have been filled. The remaining two – environment and energy – are to be nominated by the Nemunas Dawn group.
Nausėda has already rejected its first two nominees, saying they could not guarantee that the public interest would take precedence. That prompted party leader Žemaitaitis to briefly threaten to leave the coalition, though he later reversed course and promised to put forward new candidates.
“We took a vow of silence,” Sinkevičius joked, adding that it was too early to comment on possible nominees.
Despite the delays and public disagreements, he insisted there is no crisis in the ruling bloc. “The coalition will remain,” he said.
The coalition, formed in August between the Social Democrats, Nemunas Dawn and the joint group of the Farmers and Greens Union with the Christian Families Alliance, controls 82 seats in the 141-member Seimas.
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