Sinkevičius faces sharp questions from former coalition partners

Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP) leader Mindaugas Sinkevičius, a candidate for prime minister, faced tough questioning from members of the “Nemuno aušra” faction during a meeting in the Seimas, LRT reports.

Sinkevičius acknowledged that the coalition work with “Nemuno aušra” had its emotional highs and lows but emphasized that such dynamics are common in any coalition. He expressed hope that a new coalition would bring more stability, fewer conflicts, and more predictable work.

“I cannot say that everything was dark, gray, and bad. Will there be some qualitative leap with the new coalition? There is always such an expectation when forming new political alliances. But I think another important thing that was somewhat lacking—and I hope this is not political naivety, but rather belief—is that we will have greater stability, less noise, fewer emotions, fewer conflicts, and perhaps better agreement,” Sinkevičius said.

He also noted upcoming challenges, including budget discussions and constitutional issues, but reiterated his hope for stability, unity, and more predictable work.

During the meeting, “Nemuno aušra” members pressed Sinkevičius on why the social democrats had ended their coalition agreement. Karolis Neimantas asked, “Where were we unpredictable? Where did we agree behind closed doors to vote one way, only to vote the opposite?” Kęstutis Bilius questioned whether the faction was being accused of being pro-Russian or anti-state, demanding clarification.

Sinkevičius denied ever labeling “Nemuno aušra” as antisemitic or anti-state, stating that such claims were unfounded. He also thanked the faction for their joint work, particularly on defense financing, which reached a record 5.38% of GDP.

“I have not thanked you for the joint work because that special defense financing of 5.38% is the result of our joint efforts, and I don’t know if those records can be improved in 2027,” he said.

Sinkevičius added that he did not expect to have to “turn off ChatGPT and Google” to address the accusations leveled against him, insisting that some statements had been incorrectly attributed to him.