Minister Denies Procedural Errors in New Government Formation

Orinta Leiputė has responded to criticism from Vilnius University law professor E. Kūris, asserting that the formation of the new government and the submission of its program adhered strictly to established legal procedures. Kūris had pointed out that the designated prime minister presented the government program project before the cabinet was officially approved.

Leiputė countered that, according to the Law on the Government and the Statute of the Seimas, a designated prime minister has 15 days from their appointment to present the government's program and cabinet. She stated that the process was completed within a shorter timeframe, with the cabinet composition submitted to the president for approval by July 7. The government's program was then presented to the Seimas on the same day, marking the official start of its parliamentary review.

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According to the Law on the Government and the Statute of the Seimas, the designated prime minister must present the Government's program and cabinet within 15 days of appointment. Everything was done according to the established procedure: within a period shorter than 15 days, specifically by July 7, the designated prime minister submitted the composition of the ministerial cabinet to the president for approval. Upon receiving the president's decree and approving the ministerial candidates, the Government's program was presented to the Seimas on July 7. This date is legally significant because from it the Seimas began the official consideration and evaluation of the program.

"The Prime Minister, as the person politically responsible for the Government's program and its implementation, registered the program and presented it to the Seimas only after receiving the president's decree, the approval of the ministerial candidates, and the formation of the entire government composition," Leiputė emphasized in a comment provided to Elta.

This exchange highlights a procedural debate concerning the sequence of events in forming the new Lithuanian government. The controversy arises because the government program project was registered in the Seimas on July 3, while President Gitanas Nausėda signed the decree confirming the composition of the 21st Government only on July 6. The current government is a result of the Social Democrats reshaping the ruling coalition after parting ways with the "Nemuno aušra" faction.

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The Prime Minister, as the person politically responsible for the Government's program and its implementation, registered the program and presented it to the Seimas only after receiving the president's decree, the approval of the ministerial candidates, and the formation of the entire government composition.