The Lithuanian government is stepping down following the resignation of Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas, the Lithuanian cabinet announced on Monday.
“It may sound a little dramatic, but I am resigning and you will continue your work on an interim basis until the new prime minister decides what changes will be made and to what extent,” Paluckas said, thanking the ministers for their “considerable work.”
Paluckas added that he would inform President Gitanas Nausėda of his resignation today. The government is considered to have resigned after the president’s decree.
Finance Minister Rimantas Šadžius will become the interim head of the cabinet. Within 15 days of his resignation, Nausėda will have to submit the candidacy of a permanent prime minister, who must be approved by the Seimas (parliament).
Paluckas resigned amid an investigation into companies linked to him and his family. On July 24, Nausėda gave the prime minister two weeks to explain himself or resign. The next day, Paluckas went on leave, saying he needed to “take care of his bees and honey.”
On July 31, Nausėda announced that the prime minister had called him and announced his intention to resign from his posts as head of government and leader of the Social Democratic Party. The party was temporarily headed by Jonava Mayor Mindaugas Sinkevičius. He is also considered one of the possible candidates for the post of prime minister.
