Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, the leader of Lithuania’s Social Democrats who won the election, confirmed that she would not take up the post of prime minister.
I don’t have the capacity to be prime minister given my age and health. 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.
Blinkevičiūtė stated that she did not want to hold office “just for the sake of occupying it.” Before the second round of the Lithuanian election on Sunday, she confirmed that she was ready to lead the country’s next government. However, after the election results were tallied, she dodged the question of whether she still wanted to lead the nation.
On Wednesday, Blinkevičiūtė finally named Gintautas Paluckas, the former leader of the Social Democrats, as the most suitable candidate for the office. She also said that she would not take a seat in the Lithuanian parliament, but would continue to work as an MEP in Brussels.
