Conservatives call on Nausėda to explain rejection of Taminskas for defence ministry role

The conservative faction in Lithuania’s parliament has urged President Gitanas Nausėda to disclose why Transport Minister Juras Taminskas was deemed unsuitable for the post of defence minister last year, LRT reports.

In a formal appeal, the Homeland Union–Lithuanian Christian Democrats (TS-LKD) faction asked Nausėda to reassess Taminskas’s fitness for his current role amid growing concerns over leadership changes in state-owned transport companies. The lawmakers also requested clarification on the unspecified “circumstances” that led to Taminskas’s rejection as defence minister in 2025.

At the time, presidential chief advisor Deividas Matulionis stated that the presidency had “certain circumstances” preventing serious consideration of Taminskas’s candidacy but did not elaborate. The TS-LKD now argues that these undisclosed reasons raise doubts about whether a candidate deemed unfit for one ministerial post should hold another in the same cabinet.

“The unspecified circumstances leave uncertainty over whether a minister, unsuitable for one role due to unknown reasons, is fit for other collegial duties within the same government,” the appeal states.

The call follows a wave of resignations in the transport sector. Last week, Egidijus Lazauskas stepped down as CEO of Lithuanian Railways (LTG), while the boards of Lithuanian Airports (LTOU) and the Lithuanian Transport Safety Administration (LTSA) have also resigned. The selection process for a new director of air navigation services is underway.

Conservatives expressed concern that the departures—despite strong company performance—suggest “politically motivated purges” rather than justified leadership changes. They warned that such moves risk undermining Lithuania’s compliance with OECD corporate governance standards, which the country only fully implemented last year.

“We observe with alarm as professional leaders leave strategic companies one after another, often before completing their terms, while the shareholder—the Ministry of Transport—fails to provide clear, convincing reasons for these changes,” the appeal reads.

The faction questioned whether Taminskas is acting in the public interest or pursuing “narrow partisan or personal agendas” and asked Nausėda to evaluate the risks of politicising state-owned transport firms.

In March, Transport Minister Taminskas stated that the decision not to renew the contract of LTOU CEO Simonas Bartkus followed a “long-matured” plan tied to a new phase of innovation, sustainability, and security priorities for the company.