Newly elected Lithuanian leader rejects prime minister post

By Leila Nezirevic

LONDON (AA) - Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP) leader Vilija Blinkeviciute said that she will not be serving as a prime minister after winning the general election, local media reported Thursday.

Fellow Social Democrat Gintautas Paluckas, a former leader of the party, should lead the government, Blinkeviciute said at a meeting of her party’s leadership late Wednesday.

“This was a united decision by the party’s praesidium (executive committee) that he is the best candidate with the necessary experience and qualities for a prime minister,” the 64-year-old Member of the European Parliament (MEP) told reporters after the meeting.

“I am convinced that it would be difficult for an almost 65-year-old prime minister to perform her duties because I am a pensioner, and I have really appreciated during the whole election period what a responsible job it would be, how much it would require in terms of health and strength,” she said.

Saulius Skvernelis, whose Union of Democrats “For Lithuania” has been invited by the LSDP for consultations on forming a ruling majority, believes that Blinkeviciute’s decision “does not boost confidence” in potential coalition partners, national broadcaster LRT reported.

“What happened is something that had been floating around for quite a while. Still, we believed in what was publicly promised to the people of Lithuania,” Blinkeviciute was quoted as saying by the broadcaster. “This is a change that the Social Democrats will have to explain to the Lithuanian people,” she added.

Blinkeviciute has also confirmed that she will not take up a seat in the Lithuanian parliament and will continue to serve as an MEP, LRT confirmed.

“I've been working in the European Parliament for 15 years. This is my last term, and I intend to finish it,” she said.

According to LRT, the LSDP leader did not mention at the press conference in Vilnius why she had not announced her decision earlier, nor whether she thought she had betrayed voters by rejecting the post.

“First of all, they voted for the Social Democratic Party, and their trust in our party is such that we are forming the ruling majority,” she said.

Blinkeviciute, however, revealed that she informed President Gitanas Nausedaduring their meeting after the second round of the parliamentary election that she would not be able to take on the prime minister's role.

Juozas Olekas, who was elected to the parliament and will be nominated for the post of first deputy speaker of the unicameral legislative body Seimas is another potential candidate to take on the role as Baltic country’s prime minister, according to LRT.

The LSDP won the most seats in Lithuania’s parliamentary elections this month by securing 52 out of 141 votes and is expected to form a coalition government with the Union of Democrats "For Lithuania" (DSVL) and the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union (LVZS).

Blinkeviciute has led the party since 2021. During the campaign, she refused to specify whether she would be prime minister in case of the party victory. However, she said she “will form a government in case of success.”