Lithuania’s Culture Minister Ignotas Adomavičius resigned Friday after just one week in office, following public backlash and a strike by the country’s cultural community.
Lithuania’s Culture Minister Ignotas Adomavičius resigned Friday after just one week in office, following public backlash and a strike by the country’s cultural community.
“For the sake of protecting my family and respecting the entire community, so as not to disrupt the government’s work, I am stepping down,” Adomavičius told reporters at the Seimas, the Lithuanian parliament.
Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė said earlier Friday that she expected Adomavičius to announce his resignation soon, adding that if he refused to resign voluntarily, she was prepared to dismiss him.
Lithuania’s culture organisations protested the ministry being led by a minister delegated by the Nemunas Dawn party. They also objected Adomavičius’ lack of experience in the field.
The latest controversy erupted after the news portal Lrytas.lt published an interview with Adomavičius in which he declined to answer questions directly about Lithuania’s support for Ukraine and the status of Crimea, calling the questions “provocative”.
“What happened this morning is completely unacceptable to me personally and to the entire coalition,” Ruginienė said about the interview.
Adomavičius, a member of the Nemunas Dawn party, faced protests from Lithuania’s cultural community even before his appointment, with critics arguing that his leadership posed risks to free expression and democratic values.
Prime Miniser Ruginienė said Friday that the coalition agreement stands and that Nemunas Dawn will get to nominate culture minister.
“We are definitely not changing the coalition at this point. There is a personality issue, and we will resolve it,” she said.
According to Ruginienė, candidates will be proposed by the Nemunas Dawn leader, Remigijus Žemaitaitis, but she promised to be more actively involved in the search for a new minister.
After Adomavičius announced his resignation, a culture sector representative said this does not address their demands.
“This is not the end. This is the beginning,” Gintarė Masteikaitė, head of Lithuanian Dance Information Centre and one of the leaders of the protests, told BNS.
The culture community still objects to the Culture Minister being overseen by Nemunas Dawn, she said.
