Lithuania’s government officially resigns: Who will become interim prime minister
Photo: Rimantas Šadžius, Minister of Finance of Lithuania (x.com/LithuaniaSAI)
President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda accepted the government’s resignation. The Cabinet will be temporarily headed by Finance Minister Rimantas Šadžius, states the president’s adviser, Tomas Beržinskas, in a comment to LRT.
"The president has signed a decree on the government's resignation and the appointment of an interim government to perform its duties," Beržinskas said.
Once the presidium of the ruling Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP) selects a candidate for the position of prime minister, the choice must be approved by President Gitanas Nausėda. Only after that can the president formally nominate the candidate for consideration by the Seimas.
Members of parliament must review the proposed candidate and vote within a week from the moment the nomination is submitted to the plenary session. The vote is held openly, and a simple majority is sufficient to approve the nominee.
If the candidate is approved, the incoming prime minister is required, within 15 days of appointment, to submit the composition of the Cabinet — agreed upon with the president — as well as the new government's action program for approval by the Seimas. The government gains its full powers once the program is approved by a majority of the members present at the session.
However, when the Cabinet resigns, the president gains the opportunity to influence its new composition. This may result in a partial or complete replacement of ministers by the ruling coalition.
Resignation of the Prime Minister
On July 31, Gintautas Paluckas announced his resignation from the position of Prime Minister of Lithuania.
His resignation came after the Financial Crime Investigation Service conducted searches at the company Dankora, which has ties to Paluckas’s family.
