Parliamentary leaders of Lithuania’s Social Democratic Party, the Democrats “For Lithuania” and the Farmers and Christian Families Union signed a coalition agreement on Thursday.
The agreement forms a 75-seat majority in the Seimas, paving the way for the 21st government led by Social Democratic leader Mindaugas Sinkevicius. He will replace Inga Ruginienė, who served as prime minister for less than a year.
Under the deal, the Democratic Union “For Lithuania” will take control of the ministries of energy, health and agriculture. The Farmers and the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania–Christian Families Alliance group will lead the justice ministry and the economy and innovation ministry. The Social Democrats will manage the remaining nine ministries.
Coalition partners pledged to pursue socially oriented, financially sustainable and investment-friendly policies while avoiding public internal conflicts to ensure government stability. The agreement also stipulates that if the Prosecutor General’s Office requests the lifting of a lawmaker’s immunity, coalition members must support a simplified procedure.
The document acknowledges that members may hold differing views on ideological issues, family policy, bioethics and human rights. In such cases, the Coalition Council will determine whether a matter is a coalition commitment or a vote of conscience. In a separate annex, the Farmers’ group said it would not support the legalisation of civil partnerships or same-sex marriage, the Reproductive Health Law or several other family-related initiatives.
