Miškinienė denies talks about her candidacy for agriculture minister
Lithuanian politician Ausma Miškinienė has denied reports that she is being considered as a candidate for the position of agriculture minister, according to a report by public broadcaster LRT.
Miškinienė, the mayor of Lazdijai district and a member of the Democrats “For Lithuania” party, stated on social media that she has no plans to leave her current role. She emphasized her commitment to the residents of Lazdijai and her intention to continue her work in the municipality.
“My name was mentioned in the public space as a candidate for the position of agriculture minister. After receiving calls and questions from journalists, colleagues, and residents, I want to be completely open and dispel all doubts. The word I gave to the people who sincerely supported me, believed in me, and trusted me means a lot. I will keep my word to the people of the Lazdijai region,” Miškinienė wrote on Facebook.
She added that she is proud of her team in the municipality and its institutions, and feels a duty to ensure the continuity of their work and the completion of ongoing projects. Miškinienė stated that she will remain in her current position until the end of her term, regardless of the outcome of ongoing negotiations in the capital.
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 is not yet clear 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 could take over the Health Ministry. Technocrats are also being considered for these roles. Kęstutis Mažeika is a potential candidate for the Agriculture Ministry, but Miškinienė’s candidacy has also been discussed. The Environment Ministry is likely to go to Tomas Tomilinas.
The Environment and Agriculture ministries are currently led by ministers delegated by the “Aušra” party. However, with the change in coalition, these positions will become available. The current Agriculture Minister, Žygimantas Vaičiūnas, has stated that he has no indications of potential changes.
Last Saturday, the council of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP) 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.