Social Democrats may replace one or two ministers after coalition reshuffle

The leader of Lithuania’s Social Democratic Party (LSDP) has not ruled out changes to ministers appointed by his party following the decision to remove the liberal “Nemuno Aušra” faction from the ruling coalition and invite the Democrats into government, LRT reports.

Mindaugas Sinkevičius, head of the Social Democrats, confirmed on Monday that adjustments to the party’s ministerial lineup are possible, though he stressed any changes would be limited in scope.

“Yes, there could indeed be changes,” Sinkevičius told LRT Radio when asked if the cabinet reshuffle would affect ministers beyond those from “Nemuno Aušra”. “If there are changes on the Social Democrats’ side, I certainly won’t seek anything grand or radical. Some changes may occur, but we’re not talking about three ministers—perhaps one or two might be replaced.”

The politician noted that any shift in the coalition’s composition would require a review of the coalition agreement and, consequently, the government’s structure. He did not specify whether he or current Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė would lead the formation of the new cabinet but affirmed that responsibility would not be avoided.

“The government will be formed by the Social Democrats. Who exactly that person will be—I hope we’ll have all the answers within a week,” he said.

Sinkevičius acknowledged the challenges of leading the party from Jonava, a city outside the capital, but suggested that direct involvement might be necessary. “Having taken on party leadership and become chairman, trying to lead from Jonava is both complicated and difficult, and the responsibility still rests on my shoulders,” he said. “Perhaps sometimes you just have to do the work yourself and be fully accountable, rather than trying to do it with colleagues as a team.”

The Social Democrats aim to finalise the new coalition before the end of the Seimas spring session, which concludes on June 30. Sinkevičius described this as an “ambitious” timeline but reiterated the goal of securing a majority as quickly as possible.

Programmatic changes and the Democrats’ demands are expected to be discussed on Wednesday, with a decision on joining the coalition anticipated by Monday or Tuesday.