MP Ignas Vėgėlė leaves ruling Farmers and Greens coalition in Lithuanian parliament

MP Ignas Vėgėlė announced on Tuesday he is leaving the joint parliamentary faction of Lithuania’s ruling Farmers and Greens Union (LVŽS) and the Christian Families Alliance, citing a growing disconnect between the coalition’s original agreements and its actual operations, reports LRT.

In a statement, Vėgėlė said the decision was carefully considered, noting that the faction had effectively become “a tool of one political party,” making it difficult to participate when key decisions were taken in bodies where he had no representation. He stressed his commitment to “conscience, values, and voters” over political convenience.

The lawmaker criticised what he described as internal power struggles rather than the collaborative work promised before elections. “Lithuania today needs unity and cooperation, not division or infighting over positions, influence, or interests,” he said. Vėgėlė will continue his work in the parliament’s Mixed Group of non-affiliated MPs.

The joint faction was formed after the 2024 elections when LVŽS merged with the Christian Families Alliance, alongside Vėgėlė and Rimantas Jonas Jankūnas—both elected on the Farmers and Greens ticket but not party members. Jankūnas, now chair of the non-parliamentary Nation and Justice Union, had also faced calls from LVŽS leader Aurelijus Veryga to leave the faction.

Vėgėlė, a lawyer who placed third in Lithuania’s 2024 presidential election with 12.35% of the vote, had previously signalled plans to consolidate non-parliamentary parties ahead of future elections but did not disclose specifics.