Heated exchange at meeting between conservatives and Valys: “I never allow myself to be humiliated”

Proposed finance minister Taurimas Valys said he never allows anyone to humiliate him unfairly, following a tense first meeting with opposition Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats (TS-LKD) faction in the Seimas, LRT reports.

“I follow a certain logic—I never let anyone humiliate me without cause, especially not when I’m being examined by an opposition party that has no interest in our success,” Valys told journalists on Tuesday. “I believe I answered all the questions, I feel good, and as for the results regarding budget formation, time will tell.”

When asked if he felt belittled during the meeting, Valys stated that some questions from the conservative faction lacked objectivity and clarity.

Ingrida Šimonytė, a TS-LKD representative and former finance minister, said the impression was that Valys arrived unprepared. “It seems we live in times when people no longer understand what it means to be a public politician. This is a job where you are asked questions that aren’t always pleasant, sometimes they may even seem unfair, but the job requires answering them,” she told reporters.

Šimonytė added that no one asked Valys questions unrelated to his intended role. “Anyone who watched this meeting, if they’ve ever been a student or a teacher, knows the phrase ‘just something general.’ Well, this ‘just something general’ is not how a finance minister should respond to specific questions.”

Prime minister-designate Mindaugas Sinkevičius last week presented his cabinet nominees, stating that the new government would prioritise strengthening national defence. He emphasised that Europe is currently at war, and Lithuania must be strong, prepared, heard, and trusted.

President Gitanas Nausėda signed a decree on Monday confirming the composition of the 21st government. The previous cabinet led by Ingrida Ruginienė resigned after the ruling coalition was reshuffled, and Sinkevičius announced his decision to lead a new cabinet. The current coalition consists of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party, the Democratic Union “For Lithuania,” and the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union (LVŽKŠS) factions in the Seimas.