Lithuanian President Nominates New Prime Minister Amid Corruption Probe
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda has nominated social democrat MP Inga Ruginiene as the new prime minister following the resignation of former government chief Gintautas Paluckas, who stepped down amid an ongoing corruption investigation, reports 24brussels.
Nauseda acknowledged that certain aspects of Ruginiene’s background necessitated thorough examination, explaining that their initial meeting extended for two hours, an unusually long duration for such discussions. “There are certain details in Ms Ruginiene’s biography that require closer attention,” he stated in an interview with the national broadcaster LRT.
Ruginiene has faced scrutiny in the past due to her connections with relatives in Russia, whom she last visited in 2015 and 2018. However, she clarified to reporters that she no longer maintains contact and emphasized her unwavering support for Ukraine, particularly in light of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
The appointment of Ruginiene is subject to parliamentary approval, along with her proposed program and cabinet. Paluckas’s government resigned last week amid rising tensions over corruption allegations. The Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP) engaged in consultations with coalition partners following the withdrawal of support from the centre-left Democrats “For Lithuania.” This coalition partner expressed an inability to continue collaborating with the populist Nemunas Dawn party, further complicating the political landscape.
In the latest development, Lithuania’s financial crimes watchdog (FNTT) arrested Paluckas’s brother on Thursday and detained four others as part of a broader investigation into businesses connected to the former prime minister. As of now, no charges have been officially filed against Paluckas.
