Social Democrats leader calls for current speaker to retain position in reshuffled coalition

The leader of Lithuania’s Social Democratic Party (LSDP) has stated that Juozas Olekas should remain speaker of the Seimas even if the ruling coalition is restructured, LRT reports.

Mindaugas Sinkevičius, the LSDP chairman, told Žinių Radijas on Tuesday that Olekas “is doing his job well” and should continue in the role. “I believe he has performed effectively and will keep doing so successfully,” Sinkevičius said.

Following coalition talks with the Democratic Party and the Farmers and Greens Union (LVŽS), Sinkevičius indicated that the posts of speaker and prime minister should stay with the Social Democrats. “I don’t expect the speaker’s position to become a point of contention when forming a new majority—only the deputy speakers may change,” he added.

Olekas was elected speaker in September last year, replacing Saulius Skvernelis of the Democrats For Lithuania party, who had stepped down amid corruption allegations by law enforcement. Over the weekend, the Social Democrats decided to exclude the conservative Nemuno Aušra from the ruling coalition and begin negotiations with the Democrats while retaining LVŽS in government.

Before the reshuffle, Olekas had emphasised continuity in governance and the outgoing coalition’s ability to make decisions. He noted that cooperation with Nemuno Aušra had required ideological compromises and expressed hope that a new majority would better reflect left-wing policies.

The current coalition of Social Democrats, Nemuno Aušra, and LVŽS holds 80 seats in the 141-member Seimas. A new alliance of Social Democrats, Democrats, and LVŽS would command 75 votes.