Interim leader of the Lithuanian Social Democrats, Sinkevicius, announces his decision not to pursue the role of Prime Minister in an interview with BNS.
The Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP) has been navigating turbulent waters since the resignation of Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas on July 31, 2025, amid financial graft allegations. Following his departure, the party swiftly initiated the process to nominate a new prime minister.
In the wake of Paluckas's resignation, Mindaugas Sinkevičius, the party's first deputy chair, assumed the role of acting party chair. On August 4, President Gitanas Nausėda appointed Finance Minister Rimantas Šadžius as the acting prime minister to ensure government continuity during the transition.
The LSDP's party presidium then convened to select a new nominee. On August 6, the party nominated Inga Ruginiene, the current Minister for Social Security and Labour, as their candidate for prime minister. Other potential contenders, including Transport Minister Eugenijus Sabutis and acting party chair Sinkevičius, declined to run.
The LSDP aims for a candidate with a clean reputation to mitigate the reputational damage caused by Paluckas’s scandal. Ruginiene, a younger-generation politician with no known controversies, was chosen as the party's nominee.
According to the Lithuanian constitution, a new prime minister must be appointed within 60 days after the resignation. During this period, the government formally resigns but stays in office on a caretaker basis until the new government is confirmed by the president.
The existing coalition agreement with the Democrats "For Lithuania" and the Nemunas Dawn party remains in force. Despite the change of prime minister, the coalition continues to function, with no coalition partners expressing a legitimate decision to withdraw.
Mindaugas Sinkevičius, the interim leader of the LSDP, has no intention of seeking the prime minister's post. However, he does not rule out that the Social Democrats might want to change the makeup of the coalition in the future.
The party will do its best during the summer season to propose the party's nominee for the president to consider. It may take until the end of the year to hold an extraordinary election for the party's new leader, and it could take months to organize a general secret ballot for the election of the party's new leader.
The question of Mindaugas Sinkevicius standing for election as the party's new leader has not been discussed yet. For now, the LSDP is focused on nominating a new prime minister and maintaining the coalition agreement. The door is open for any political partner to withdraw from the coalition at any time.
References: [1] Lithuanian Public Broadcasting [2] Baltic News Service [3] Reuters [4] The Baltic Times [5] Delfi
Following the resignation of Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas, the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP) is seeking a candidate with a clean reputation to minimize the reputational damage from the scandal. On August 6, the party nominated Inga Ruginiene, the current Minister for Social Security and Labour, as their candidate for prime minister.
The party's interim leader, Mindaugas Sinkevičius, has no intention of seeking the prime minister's post at this time, but he leaves open the possibility of changes to the coalition in the future. The LSDP is currently focused on nominating a new prime minister and maintaining the coalition agreement with the Democrats "For Lithuania" and the Nemunas Dawn party.
