Coalition talks progress but foreign ministry not yet discussed

Negotiations for a new governing coalition in Lithuania are ongoing, with social democrat leader Mindaugas Sinkevičius stating that progress has been made but no final agreement is expected immediately, LRT reports.

The second round of talks involved only the social democrats and the Democrats “For Lithuania” party, though leaders of all three potential coalition partners had met informally in Brussels prior to formal discussions. Sinkevičius confirmed that the parties have agreed on priority policy areas and are moving closer to a substantive coalition agreement.

Further discussions are planned for Friday, with the aim of finalising the coalition agreement early next week. According to Sinkevičius, the current plan would see the “valstiečiai” (rural) party retain control of the Justice and Economy and Innovation ministries, while the Democrats “For Lithuania” would receive three ministerial portfolios, though specific positions have not yet been named.

Virginijus Sinkevičius, acting leader of the Democrats “For Lithuania”, clarified that the Foreign Ministry was not part of the negotiations, stating that its leadership must be coordinated with the presidential office. He also noted that a key unresolved question is whether social democrat leader Mindaugas Sinkevičius will take the prime minister’s role, which would impact the distribution of other ministerial positions.

Earlier, the Democrats “For Lithuania” had sought four ministries, but this was opposed by both the social democrats and the “valstiečiai”. In the previous coalition formed after the 2024 Seimas elections, the Democrats “For Lithuania” held the speaker’s position and two ministries. This time, the social democrats intend to retain the speaker’s role, leaving the Democrats “For Lithuania” potentially dissatisfied with only two ministries.