Lithuania’s parliament on Thursday gave its approval to the programme of the country’s 20th government, formed by the Social Democrats, Nemunas Dawn and the Farmers and Greens Union.
The programme was passed with 80 votes in favour, 40 against and two abstentions.
President Gitanas Nausėda’s appointed ministers, together with Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė, will be sworn in shortly afterwards and will then formally assume office.
Outlining her plans, Ruginienė said: “With this programme we are making clear that we want a stronger public sector, we want to listen to communities, to develop social dialogue and to resolve problems through dialogue. We want to invest more in defence, as we have already demonstrated and will continue to do. We want a firm social foundation for every citizen – with rising wages, dignity for our pensioners, and better living conditions for the most vulnerable.”
She pledged her government would treat citizens with respect and base decisions on dialogue.
The opposition criticised both the formation of the Cabinet and the programme itself, calling the process chaotic.
They said some ministers appointed had not been involved in drafting the document, which included significant spending commitments but few new sources of revenue. Some ministerial nominees had even voiced disagreement with parts of the programme.
To this Ruginienė answered by insisting that the programme will have to be implemented by all members of the 20th cabinet.
"I will not accept any other talk," she told reporters.
Concerns were also raised about the competence and professionalism of several ministers.
“A new experimental scale of professional requirements had been created, somewhere between kebab sellers, who don’t qualify, and pasta vendors, who apparently do – with even antelopes squeezed onto the same scale,” said Conservative MP Mindaugas Lingė.
His comments refer to Nemunas Dawn’s Ignotas Adomavičius, the culture minister nominee, whose family runs a pasta and ravioli business.
President Nausėda had himself joked earlier that “luxury car trading or running a kebab franchise” could not be considered adequate professional experience for a minister, adding that “if the aim is to sow confusion or troll society, one could just as well nominate an antelope”.
Still, he appointed Adomavičius as culture minister.
Lingė said that although the Cabinet contained some capable ministers, overall the 20th government appeared “experimental”, citing the lack of experience of the incoming prime minister and the last-minute coalition reshuffle which saw the Social Democrats take over the Energy Ministry, while Nemunas Dawn was handed Culture.
The government programme includes a commitment to raise defence spending to 5% of GDP.
It also pledges not to introduce new taxes during the parliamentary term, with the exception of a financial stability levy on banks – the details of which remain unclear. Diesel excise hikes will be frozen, while tobacco, alcohol and e-cigarette duties will rise more steeply.
The previous government's plans to create a Ministry of Regions have been abandoned, though most other commitments mirror those of the previous administration under Gintautas Paluckas.
These include faster pension indexation, higher social benefits, better pay for public sector workers, shorter waiting times in healthcare, greater attention to road maintenance, a ban on extra charges for services covered by mandatory health insurance, and more favourable conditions for business.
On foreign policy, the new government is softening its rhetoric towards China and has declared its aim to normalise diplomatic representation with Beijing.
The ruling coalition was formed in August after Paluckas resigned and the previous majority collapsed. It brings together the Social Democrats, Nemunas Dawn, and the joint group of the Farmers and Greens Union with the Christian Families Alliance, holding 82 seats in the 141-member Seimas.
The Cabinet will include eight new ministers, with six retaining their posts.
Environment will be headed by Nemunas Dawn-selected Kastytis Žuromskas, Economy and Innovation by Farmers and Greens representative Edvinas Grikšas, and Energy by Žygimantas Vaičiūnas, who remains in post. Kristupas Vaitiekūnas will lead the Finance Ministry, while Defence will continue under Social Democrat Dovilė Šakalienė.
Culture goes to Nemunas Dawn-delegated Ignotas Adomavičius, Transport to Juras Taminskas, Health to Marija Jakubauskienė, and Education, Science and Sport to Raminta Popovienė.
Justice will be led by Rita Tamašunienė of the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania–Christian Families Alliance, Foreign Affairs will remain with Kęstutis Budrys, Interior with Vladislavas Kondratovičius, and Agriculture with Andrius Palionis.
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