Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda on Monday appointed Social Democrat Robertas Kaunas as defence minister and Social Democrat Vaida Aleknavičienė as culture minister, formalising the decisions in a presidential decree.
Nausėda met with Kaunas twice last week before making his final decision, while his meeting with Aleknavičienė took place earlier Monday.
Kaunas’ nomination has drawn criticism from the opposition and parts of the public, who questioned his ability to lead the ministry given his limited defence experience. The first-term lawmaker, elected to parliament last year, has served on the Committee on National Security and Defence since September.
The president said he discussed the composition of Kaunas’ future political team during their meetings. After the second meeting on Friday, Kaunas said he believed the proposed team had reassured Nausėda, but he did not say whether any of the deputy ministers who served under former Defence Minister Dovilė Šakalienė would remain.
Šakalienė stepped down in late October after losing Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė’s confidence amid disagreements over next year’s defence budget.
Earlier Monday, presidential adviser Jolanta Karpavičienė confirmed that Nausėda would also appoint Aleknavičienė as culture minister.
Aleknavičienė said there would be no Nemunas Dawn members or others linked to the party on her team. She pledged to begin a national cultural dialogue with artists, cultural organisations, and regional centres.
Aleknavičienė was initially nominated as culture minister when Ruginienė’s cabinet was formed, but the Social Democrats withdrew her name after trading ministries with Nemunas Dawn. Her candidacy was resubmitted after the party regained control of the ministry.
The Culture Ministry has been without a permanent head since October 3, when Nemunas Dawn’s Ignotas Adomavičius resigned after just a week in office. His appointment – along with the coalition’s decision to hand the ministry to Nemunas Dawn – triggered protests from Lithuania’s cultural community, which have continued in recent weeks.
Cultural figures have demanded that no Nemunas Dawn representatives take part in the ministry’s future work.
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