Communication expert: it would be fantastic if politicians could explain their decisions

A communication expert has criticised Lithuanian politicians for failing to clearly explain their decisions, particularly during government formation, LRT reports.

Linas Kontrimas, head of Vilnius University’s Political Communication Research Centre, said the process of forming the new cabinet under designated Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius lacked transparency. The proposed government includes seven new faces, four of them from the Social Democratic Party, with the foreign minister position drawing the most intrigue.

“It would be fantastic if our politicians could finally explain their decisions or, for example, the principles behind cabinet formation. But we haven’t seen this for a long time,” Kontrimas said during LRT’s programme Laba diena, Lietuva.

He noted that past government formations were also poorly explained, adding that clarity was only present in the early years of independence due to stronger personalities in politics. Now, he said, “we no longer understand this spectacle.”

Kontrimas also criticised Sinkevičius’ own communication, describing it as hesitant. “Mindaugas Sinkevičius still behaves quite indecisively. I hope he will take charge and speak more openly and resolutely. His answers remain ambiguous, and worse, the obvious ones are left unspoken.”

Sinkevičius, presenting his cabinet, said he expects each minister to demonstrate “courage, initiative, and the ability to change what isn’t working.”