Veryga says coalition talks should not replace effective ministers without reason

Coalition negotiations among Lithuania’s Social Democrats, Democrats, and the Farmers and Greens Union have entered a critical phase, with the key unresolved question being who will lead the next government, LRT reports.

Speaking on LRT’s Dienos tema programme, Farmers and Greens leader Aurelijus Veryga said his party has no fundamental objections to current Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė but acknowledged that changes are likely.

“We’ve been hearing signals about possible changes in the government leadership for quite some time,” Veryga said. He noted that while his party has no major concerns about Ruginienė’s competence, political logic suggests a party leader taking the premiership could more easily mobilise their party.

Veryga added that the recent ruling by the Chief Official Ethics Commission, which found Ruginienė had grossly violated the law by conflating public and private interests, had not altered his party’s view on her suitability. However, he recognised that such decisions contribute to the broader assessment.

Democrat leader Virginijus Sinkevičius has previously criticised Ruginienė, while signalling support for Mindaugas Sinkevičius as a potential candidate. Veryga described this as pressure from one coalition partner but stressed that the Farmers and Greens do not treat all candidates as equal.

Negotiations are set to continue, with plans to finalise a coalition agreement next week. The agreement must include the names of the Seimas speaker and the prime minister.