Sinkevičius Defends Government Program Submission Amid Procedural Criticism

Mindaugas Sinkevičius, Lithuania's Minister of Economy and Innovation, has pushed back against criticism regarding the submission of the government's program. He argued that the procedures for registration and presentation are not identical, suggesting a nuanced interpretation of constitutional requirements.

"I am not a connoisseur of Constitutional Law and will not get into a legal polemic now, but we are evaluating, perhaps that evaluation will be criticized, but when presenting the government's program to the Seimas, I already knew, the public knew, that the decree on the government was in place. There are nuances here in registration, presentation, and what is not identical – it was registered earlier, but it was presented in the plenary hall when the president's decree had already been signed on July 6," Sinkevičius told reporters in the Seimas.

Discussions intensified after Egidijus Kūris, a law professor at Vilnius University, pointed out that the designated prime minister presented the government's program draft before the cabinet was officially confirmed. The program was registered on July 3, while President Gitanas Nausėda signed the decree confirming the new government's composition on July 6.

Opposition parties, including conservatives and liberals, contend that Sinkevičius's government program was submitted in violation of constitutional procedures. They plan to appeal to the Constitutional Court over the matter. The current government change follows the social democrats' restructuring of the ruling coalition after parting ways with the "Nemuno aušra" group. The previous government, led by Inga Ruginienė, resigned after Mindaugas Sinkevičius announced his decision to lead a new cabinet.

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I am not a connoisseur of Constitutional Law and will not get into a legal polemic now, but we are evaluating, perhaps that evaluation will be criticized, but when presenting the government's program to the Seimas, I already knew, the public knew, that the decree on the government was in place. There are nuances here in registration, presentation, and what is not identical – it was registered earlier, but it was presented in the plenary hall when the president's decree had already been signed on July 6.