Nemunas Dawn party leader Remigijus Žemaitaitis warned Tuesday that his parliamentary group may not support the 2026 state budget unless its proposals are taken into account.
Žemaitaitis said the final decision on whether his faction will back the budget will be made during the bill’s final reading in the Seimas, Lithuania’s parliament.
“The figures differ by almost 300 million euros, so naturally such a decision does not satisfy our faction,” Žemaitaitis told reporters, adding that the submitted budget does not reflect what coalition partners had agreed upon.
The Nemunas Dawn leader said he wants more funding for the State Border Guard Service and the police.
Social Democratic Party leader Mindaugas Sinkevičius dismissed Žemaitaitis’ statements as political rhetoric aimed at attracting extra attention, saying the budget “is not made of rubber”.
“There are always those dissatisfied before the budget is passed,” Sinkevičius said. “If the budget were not adopted – a situation I think is highly unlikely – it would mean the end of the coalition.”
Farmers and Greens Union chairman Aurelijus Veryga also called the tensions nothing unusual, saying friction always arises when debating the budget.
“There’s a general mood of irritation and sensitivity, not only among the public but also among politicians, because nobody likes instability,” Veryga said.
Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė also said she is not worried about a possible collapse of the coalition.
“I’m simply not even worried about it right now. I think the most important thing for us is to focus on our work, and that’s what I said from the very first minute I took this position. The program, the work – that’s why I came here. Not to play all kinds of behind-the-scenes games, but to work,” she told LRT RADIO on Wednesday.
Žemaitaitis also criticised Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys, saying he was acting without consulting coalition partners.
“I see that today Mr Budrys is performing his duties ineffectively. He’s playing a one-man game without coordinating with the coalition,” Žemaitaitis said. “We must remember that Budrys was not elected by the people.”
Sinkevičius defended the foreign minister, saying Budrys “is doing his job well, especially now while in the United States”.
Former Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė, now opposition MP, said it was difficult to predict how long the coalition would last.
“It will hold as long as the Social Democrats and President [Gitanas] Nausėda think they can let Žemaitaitis mock them – and, by extension, the state,” she said. “I can’t guess how much Stockholm syndrome exists within the coalition and how long they’re willing to tolerate it.”
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