VILNIUS, Lithuania — Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė and her entire cabinet officially stepped down Tuesday, triggered by a realignment of the country’s ruling coalition. The shake-up sets the stage for the Baltic nation’s third prime minister in just two years and a new government that has signaled it wants to pursue a more practical relationship with China after a prolonged period of diplomatic tension.
The government’s fall came after the center-left Social Democrats broke off their coalition agreement earlier this month with the scandal-plagued populist Nemuno Aušra party. The split followed mounting controversy surrounding one of that party’s former leaders, who is facing accusations of antisemitic rhetoric.
That former leader, ex-lawmaker Remigijus Žemaitaitis, was ordered to pay a 5,000 euro fine — roughly $5,800 — by a Lithuanian court last year. The court determined he had incited hatred toward Jewish people, grossly minimized Nazi Germany’s atrocities, and made deeply offensive statements downplaying the Holocaust through social media posts and public remarks made in May and June of 2023. Prosecutors are now seeking a harsher penalty before an appeals court. Žemaitaitis maintains he is not guilty.
Ruginienė’s formal resignation will be delivered to President Gitanas Nausėda, who is widely expected to ask the departing administration to remain in a caretaker role while a new government is assembled.
Before stepping down, Ruginienė — a Social Democrat and former labor union leader — addressed her ministers with words of appreciation. “Despite all the difficulties, we have much to be proud of, and each of you has made a significant contribution to the welfare of our state and the improving lives of its people,” she told them Tuesday.
Under the Lithuanian constitution, the president has 15 days to put forward a prime ministerial candidate to parliament. Based on a coalition agreement signed last week by the new ruling majority, Social Democratic Party leader Mindaugas Sinkevičius is the anticipated nominee for the top government post.
The newly formed coalition, made up of the Social Democrats and two other center-left parties, took shape without the Nemuno Aušra party. Together, the new alliance holds 75 seats in the 141-member Lithuanian parliament, known as the Seimas. The coalition agreement calls for at least four ministerial positions to change hands, though the country’s broader policy directions are expected to stay largely intact.
On foreign policy, the coalition’s governing document indicates a desire to rebuild more stable ties with Beijing. The new partners say they back restoring diplomatic dialogue and growing economic cooperation where it benefits Lithuania, while continuing to honor the country’s obligations to the European Union, NATO, and its strategic partnership with Taiwan.
If the Seimas approves the prime minister-designate, that individual will have up to two weeks to present a new cabinet and governing program — developed in coordination with the president — for parliamentary review and approval.
