Mindaugas Sinkevičius to step down as Jonava mayor next week

The Central Electoral Commission (VRK) announced on Tuesday that it had received a request from designated Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius to resign from his position as mayor of Jonava District Municipality, as reported by LRT.

According to the VRK, the leader of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP) submitted the request on Tuesday morning, proposing that his last day as mayor be July 13. Sinkevičius is expected to assume the duties of prime minister on July 14, following the Seimas’ approval of the government program.

The commission will decide on the early termination of his mayoral powers at its next meeting on July 9. Since the next regular municipal elections are scheduled for February–March 2027, no early mayoral election will be held in Jonava. Instead, a temporary mayor appointed by the municipal council will serve until the regular elections.

Sinkevičius has previously suggested that Valdas Majauskas, the current director of the municipality’s administration, would be the best candidate to lead Jonava. However, Majauskas, who was elected to the Jonava municipal council in 2023 but is no longer a member, would need to rejoin the council to be eligible, as only council members can temporarily replace the mayor under the law.

Sinkevičius has led Jonava District Municipality, with interruptions, since 2011. He previously lost the mayoral position in 2024 after the Court of Appeal convicted him in a case involving the misuse of public funds for personal purchases, including televisions and communication services, while serving as a council member. The conviction barred him from holding public office for several years. However, the Supreme Court of Lithuania overturned the criminal case last spring, ruling that his actions constituted an administrative rather than a criminal offense, allowing him to return as mayor.