Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda has proposed a three-month trial period for newly appointed Culture Minister Ignotas Adomavičius, whose nomination by the political party Nemunas Dawn has sparked protests from the country’s cultural community.
“This minister will face a very difficult job,” Nausėda said Monday on LRT TV. “If it turns out in the coming months that the culture minister, either for personal or other reasons, cannot work effectively, then a new candidate will have to be found.”
The president suggested Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė should act as a mentor to Adomavičius to help ease tensions with the culture sector, which has strongly objected to Nemunas Dawn’s control of the ministry.
Cultural figures have criticised the minister for lacking experience and have announced a warning strike. Organisers of the Vilnius Book Fair said Nausėda, Ruginienė and Adomavičius would not be welcome at the event. Several advisory councils under the ministry have also resigned in protest.
Nausėda said the controversy lies less with Adomavičius himself than with Nemunas Dawn’s right to nominate the culture minister. He suggested the ruling Social Democrats could consider leading a minority government and filling the ministry posts themselves, though he questioned whether they could secure reliable support from opposition parties.
The president also underscored the urgency of adopting the 2025 state budget. “The draft state budget must be submitted on October 17. Deadlines are strict, and if we fail to adopt it by mid-December, next year we will begin with a twelfth of the budget [of the previous year]. That would hurt not only the culture sector but many others,” he said.
Nausėda acknowledged he had previously opposed appointing Nemunas Dawn members to the Cabinet but said constitutional law experts had pressured him to change his stance. The current crisis stems from a coalition deal that shifted the Culture Ministry to Nemunas Dawn in exchange for the Energy Ministry going to the Social Democrats.
Adomavičius, appointed last week, has pledged to work with cultural figures to find common ground. Nausėda, calling the situation “painful”, is scheduled to meet with representatives of the culture community on Tuesday.
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