Lithuania’s Social Democrats to decide on coalition future in early June

The governing Social Democratic Party of Lithuania plans to hold a council meeting in early June to decide the future of its ruling coalition, party leader Mindaugas Sinkevičius told BNS on Tuesday.

Sinkevičius said the exact date remains uncertain due to logistical challenges but stressed the meeting would likely take place on the first weekend of June, before the party’s scheduled retreat on June 12–14.

“We want to hold the council at the very beginning of June, before the retreat. Right now, we’re simply in the process of finding suitable premises to ensure there are no empty seats,” he said. “We need to find a location, a hall—nuances arise, but there’s a high probability it will be the first weekend of June.”

The push for coalition talks follows recent tensions, including a vote by lawmakers from the junior coalition partner Nemuno aušra (Dawn of Nemunas) against a government-backed military training ground proposal. Further strain came after the party’s leader, Remigijus Žemaitaitis, claimed a state coup was being planned in Lithuania for autumn—a statement Sinkevičius dismissed as “nonsense” with “little to do with a sound mind.”

The Social Democrats formed the current ruling majority with Nemuno aušra and the Democrats after the 2024 parliamentary elections but later restructured the coalition, replacing the Democrats with the Lithuanian Farmers, Greens, and Christian Families Union faction. The coalition now holds 81 seats in the 141-member Seimas.