Lithuanian ruling coalition sees no grounds to replace prime minister

The leader of Lithuania’s ruling Farmers and Greens Union (LVŽS) says there is currently no valid reason to replace Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė, despite unresolved disputes over deputy minister appointments, LRT reports.

Aurelijus Veryga, chairman of the LVŽS, stated that Ruginienė effectively organizes the government’s work, though he acknowledged lingering frustrations over unassigned deputy minister roles between his party and the liberal Freedom Party.

“The government is functioning. Whether you like it or not, she manages to organize its work,” Veryga told the ELTA news agency. He called the deputy minister issue “childish” and suggested Ruginienė could resolve it by summoning the relevant minister to uphold existing agreements.

His comments follow a proposal by Virginijus Sinkevičius, acting chairman of the Democratic Union “For Lithuania,” who argued that Social Democrat leader Mindaugas Sinkevičius should take over as prime minister. Sinkevičius, elected LSDP chairman in early May, has not ruled out moving to Vilnius to join the central government but insists any leadership change should occur “organically.”

Ruginienė became prime minister in 2025 after her predecessor, Gintautas Paluckas, resigned amid media investigations into his business ties. A recent Delfi-commissioned poll by Spinter Tyrimai ranks her fifth among potential candidates for the role, with just 3.5% of respondents viewing her as the best choice.