Landsbergis: ruling coalition made every possible mistake, question is whether Sinkevičius can save it

Former foreign minister Gabrielius Landsbergis has said the current ruling coalition has made every possible mistake, raising the question of whether new Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius can rescue it, LRT reports.

Speaking on LRT Television’s programme Savaitė, Landsbergis described the government’s performance as a “slow-motion crash into a wall” ahead of the elections, with the Social Democrats now forming their third cabinet in this term, marked by crises and scandals.

“The rulers are going bankrupt—it’s a slow-motion crash into a wall before the elections. Can they still try to avoid it in the coming years? Miracles do happen, but it’s hard to believe. They’ve made almost every possible mistake, and the question is whether the new prime minister, Sinkevičius, can pull them out,” Landsbergis said.

He warned his party, the Homeland Union–Lithuanian Christian Democrats (TS-LKD), not to miss the opportunity presented by the government’s struggles. “We see the party’s preparation for the Vilnius municipal elections, that’s clear. We can evaluate the results, whether successful or not, but it’s obvious the party is getting ready. There’s more time until the national elections, but my concern is that we don’t miss this chance,” he added.

Landsbergis drew parallels with 2016, when the Social Democrats under Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius faced a similar decline, but the conservative party failed to capitalise, allowing the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union (LVŽS) to win instead. He recalled that in 2014, few predicted the rise of LVŽS, led by Ramūnas Karbauskis, which went on to form the government.

Commenting on Social Security and Labour Minister Inga Ruginienė’s intention to return to her post after a confirmed legal violation, Landsbergis said the ruling majority no longer feels the need to explain such breaches. “It seems the ruling majority has simply lost the will to account for any violations and no longer feels the obligation or possibility to do so. There are so many that one more wilted rose in the bouquet doesn’t spoil the picture,” he said.

However, he noted that this situation presents an opportunity for the opposition to act.