President unsure if Kukuraitis can manage healthcare system

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda has expressed uncertainty over whether Linas Kukuraitis, the proposed health minister from the Democratic Party, can effectively manage the country’s healthcare system, LRT reports.

“The healthcare system is extremely complex, with many challenges, tensions, and underlying currents. In this case, I am probably most concerned—or at least I do not yet have answers to all the questions, nor can I have them, since I have not yet met with the candidate—but I am not sure if Mr. Kukuraitis will truly be able to manage the situation in this system,” Nausėda told LNK Žinios on Friday.

He added that he had no doubts about Democrat Lukas Savickas’ ability to lead the Energy Ministry, having observed his energy while serving as economy and innovation minister.

Nausėda noted that Kęstutis Mažeika, the candidate for agriculture minister, faces significant challenges in negotiating funding for farmers in the EU’s multiannual financial framework. “Here, we will need to fight for the interests of our farmers. The fight will be needed not only by the president but also by the agriculture minister,” he said.

BNS reported that on Friday, acting chairman of the Democratic Party “For Lithuania” Virginijus Sinkevičius submitted the party’s candidates for energy, health, and agriculture ministers to the president. The government is being reformed after the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party terminated its coalition agreement with “Nemuno Aušra” and invited the Democratic Party “For Lithuania” into the ruling majority.