Agriculture minister backs Mažeika as successor due to his extensive experience

Outgoing Agriculture Minister Andrius Palionis has endorsed Kęstutis Mažeika as the leading candidate to replace him, citing Mažeika’s substantial experience, LRT reports.

“In terms of competence, he has truly accumulated a great deal,” Palionis told journalists in the Seimas on Tuesday.

He added that he and Mažeika, both members of the Rural Affairs Committee, frequently discuss matters but have not yet spoken about the handover of duties. “We have greeted each other, but we haven’t discussed the work yet,” Palionis said.

Earlier this month, the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP) decided to restructure its ruling coalition, removing the “Nemuno aušra” party and beginning negotiations with the Democrats “For Lithuania” party. Last week, coalition negotiators agreed on the distribution of ministries, assigning Agriculture, Energy, and Health to the Democrats.

Mažeika, Lukas Savickas, and Linas Kukuraitis are the proposed candidates to lead these ministries, respectively. The LSDP will retain control of nine ministries, while the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union’s Seimas faction will keep two. A coalition agreement is expected to be signed this week.