Dispute over deputy minister posts remains unresolved, coalition partner accused of ignoring agreements

A long-standing disagreement between Lithuania’s ruling Farmers and Greens Union (LVŽS) and its coalition partners over the allocation of deputy minister positions remains unsettled, with LVŽS leader Aurelijus Veryga accusing the Social Democrats of deliberately ignoring the issue, LRT reports.

Speaking to the ELTA news agency, Veryga stated that no progress had been made since the conflict first emerged in January. “Nothing has been resolved, nothing has changed, and it seems our main partners don’t even want to hear about this issue. They simply refuse to address it,” he said.

The LVŽS leader dismissed suggestions that the party was pushing for specific individuals to be appointed, clarifying that the dispute centered on the distribution of responsibilities within the coalition. “This isn’t about hiring people—we’re not an employment agency. It’s about dividing policy areas,” Veryga said. Under the coalition agreement, LVŽS is entitled to two deputy minister posts, but Veryga claimed these commitments had been left unfulfilled, with reminders “vanishing into thin air.”

Prime Minister Ingrida Ruginienė previously proposed offering LVŽS an advisory role instead of a deputy minister position, an alternative the party rejected. Veryga argued that the premier could resolve the matter “in half an hour” if she chose to intervene directly. “I think this is a question of political inexperience and a lack of courage. I urge the prime minister to find the courage to understand that her word in government is final,” he said.

A spokesperson for Ruginienė acknowledged the difficulty of the issue but stated that the prime minister would continue discussions with LVŽS representatives to find a mutually acceptable solution.

The conflict initially arose after the New Union (Nemuno aušra) party, which oversees the Agriculture Ministry, dismissed LVŽS-nominated deputy minister Artūras Pekauskas and ministerial advisor Mindaugas Petkevičius. While Agriculture Minister Andrius Palionis claimed both left voluntarily, Veryga linked the dismissals to LVŽS’s refusal to accept a New Union-nominated deputy minister in the Economy and Innovation Ministry.