Riga: Mindaugas Sinkevicius was nominated for the post of prime minister by Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda on Thursday, who tasked him with forming a new government amid a coalition reshuffle.
According to Ghana News Agency, Parliament must approve the nomination of Sinkevicius, who leads the Social Democrats. He can then select his cabinet, which would be subject to a further parliamentary vote. Nauseda and Sinkevicius met on Wednesday evening for talks, during which they agreed on the new government's key priorities. The president emphasized, "Defence and security must remain this government's top priority."
Lithuania shares its borders with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad and Russian ally Belarus. Like other Baltic states, Lithuania perceives the ongoing war, triggered by Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as a direct national security threat.
Sinkevicius will replace his party colleague Inga Ruginiene and plans to present his cabinet next week. The reshuffle follows the Social Democrats' decision to replace a coalition partner and terminate their cooperation with the populist party Dawn of the Nemunas earlier this month. They have brought the Democratic Union for Lithuania, previously in opposition, into the government. Together with two other partners, the new coalition holds 75 of the 141 parliamentary seats.
Sinkevicius briefly served as Economy Minister from 2016 to 2017 and has been involved in local government in Jonava and the surrounding area. In 2024, he was convicted of embezzling municipal funds and temporarily lost his mayoral post, but he was acquitted of all charges by the Supreme Court in a final judgment in March 2025.