Member of the European Parliament Virginijus Sinkevičius has been appointed interim chairman of the opposition Union of Democrats "For Lithuania", after Saulius Skvernelis suspended his party membership and resigned as leader.
The party board took the decision at an emergency meeting in Vilnius on Friday.
Sinkevičius said that fellow lawmakers Linas Kukuraitis and Lukas Savickas had also been put forward for the interim post but opted not to stand during the board meeting.
He will continue his duties as a Member of the European Parliament alongside his new responsibilities.
The interim chairman will lead the party until a national congress is convened to elect a permanent successor, which Sinkevičius said is expected to take place by August.
The vacancy arose after Skvernelis – a former prime minister and speaker of the Seimas – suspended his membership on Thursday, following news that Prosecutor General Nida Grunskienė intended to ask parliament to lift his legal immunity in connection with a bribery investigation.
Before searches were carried out at the home and parliamentary office of Skvernelis, Sinkevičius argued there had been no cause to remove the party leader.
He pledged that the party's commitment to zero tolerance for corruption remained firm, and confirmed that party members in the Seimas would vote to lift Skvernelis' parliamentary immunity.
Asked whether the party might return to the ruling coalition, he said such discussions could only begin if an invitation were received. Talks with the Social Democrats are continuing in various formats, he added, though nothing concrete has yet emerged.
Lukas Savickas, leader of the Democrats' group in the Seimas, called for maximum unity within the party.
"We spoke in the board about the need to emerge from this as a single fist," he said. "We have agreed to rely on Virginijus' initiative, energy, and active determination to take leadership from this very moment to move forward and turn a new page."
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