Miškinienė denies talks about her candidacy for agriculture minister

Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT reports that Ausma Miškinienė, the mayor of Lazdijai District Municipality and a member of the Democrats “For Lithuania” party, has denied speculation about her potential candidacy for the position of agriculture minister.

In a Facebook post, Miškinienė stated that while her name had been mentioned in public discussions as a possible candidate, she has no plans to change her career path. She emphasized her commitment to the people of Lazdijai and her intention to continue her work in the municipality until the end of her term.

“I value and support the Democrats ‘For Lithuania’ party, and I am part of it. My priorities are clear at the moment, and I am not planning any career changes,” she wrote.

Miškinienė expressed pride in her team’s achievements in the municipality and its institutions, stating that she feels a duty to ensure continuity in their work and to complete ongoing projects. She added that, regardless of the outcome of ongoing negotiations in the capital, she will remain in her current position until the end of her term.

According to the news portal Lrytas, during coalition negotiations on Thursday, it was agreed that the Democrats “For Lithuania” would take over the Energy, Health, and one more ministry. However, it remains unclear whether the third ministry will be Environment or Agriculture.

Sources cited by the portal suggest that Lukas Savickas could lead the Energy Ministry, while L. Kukuraitis might head the Health Ministry. Technocrats’ names are also under consideration. Kęstutis Mažeika is a potential candidate for the agriculture minister position, but Miškinienė’s name has also been discussed. The Environment Ministry is likely to go to Tomas Tomilinas.

The current Agriculture Minister, Žygimantas Vaičiūnas, has stated that he has no indications of potential changes.

Last Saturday, the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP) council decided to change the ruling majority formed last summer, removing “Nemuno Aušra” from it and starting consultations with the Democrats “For Lithuania”. The current ruling majority in the Seimas has 80 members. If a new coalition is formed, it would have slightly fewer, with 75 votes.