Blinkevičiūtė apologises after question on alleged deception over prime minister bid

Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Lithuania’s long-serving MEP and newly elected honorary chair of the Social Democratic Party, broke into tears when asked whether she had misled voters by declining to become prime minister, responding: “I apologise.”

The emotional moment came during an interview with LRT, where Blinkevičiūtė reflected on her decision not to pursue the premiership despite earlier signals of ambition. She acknowledged the controversy, stating she would now “only observe the processes” from the sidelines.

Evaluating Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė’s government, Blinkevičiūtė gave it an 8 out of 10, citing “extremely difficult circumstances” but criticising coalition partner Ramūnas Karbauskis’ “Nemuno aušra” (Dawn at the Nemunas) faction for needing “to hold their tongues more often.” She insisted, however, that the group contains “quite decent politicians.”

On proposed amendments to the law governing public broadcaster LRT—widely seen as an attempt to curb its independence—Blinkevičiūtė urged all sides to “seek compromise,” warning that politics “cannot be only black or white.”

Looking ahead to the next parliamentary elections, she dismissed predictions of a Social Democratic collapse, invoking the “pendulum effect” but asserting the party would remain a parliamentary force. Her own future, she clarified, lies in “watching from the stands.”

Blinkevičiūtė, now in her fourth term as an MEP, described each as uniquely challenging: from the 2009 financial crisis and 2015 refugee waves to the pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine. “In politics,” she stressed, “you must find compromises that work for everyone.”