Social democrats and Democrats for Lithuania begin coalition talks

Social democrats and the Democratic Union “For Lithuania” have begun negotiations to form a new ruling coalition, LRT reports.

The social democrats decided over the weekend to restructure the current ruling majority, removing the “Nemuno aušra” party led by Remigijus Žemaitaitis. This would mark the third ruling majority and government in a year and a half, following persistent disagreements among coalition partners since the 2024 parliamentary elections.

The social democrats have also initiated consultations with the Farmers and Greens Union, currently led by Aurelijus Veryga, to potentially retain them in the coalition.

Negotiation teams have been formed: the Democrats’ group includes Virginijus Sinkevičius, Tomas Tomilinas, Lukas Savickas, Jekaterina Rojaka, Linas Kukuraitis, and Domas Griškevičius. The social democrats’ delegation consists of party leader Mindaugas Sinkevičius, Robertas Duchnevičius, Inga Ruginienė, Orintas Leiputė, Rasa Budbergytė, and Juras Taminskas.

On Tuesday, the leaders of the three potential coalition parties—Mindaugas Sinkevičius, Virginijus Sinkevičius, and Aurelijus Veryga—met in Brussels to discuss the formation of the coalition. A broader meeting of all three parties’ negotiation teams is scheduled for Thursday.

Public discussions have suggested that if Mindaugas Sinkevičius takes over as prime minister, current Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė could assume the role of Speaker of the Seimas, a position currently held by Juozas Olekas.

The current ruling majority holds 80 seats in the Seimas. A new coalition would have slightly fewer, with 75 votes.