Lithuanian president accepts resignation of Paluckas government

VILNIUS - Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda on Monday accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas' government and tasked Finance Minister Rimantas Sadzius to lead the interim government.

"The president has signed a decree on the government's resignation and the assignment of the interim Cabinet to perform its duties," presidential adviser Tomas Berzinskas told BNS on Monday.

According to information available BNS, Finance Minister Rimantas Sadzius will lead the caretaker government until a new Cabinet is formed.

As of Monday, when Nauseda accepted the resignation of the Paluckas government, the president has up to 15 days to submit to the Seimas for consideration the nominee for a permanent prime minister.

As BNS reported earlier, Paluckas decided to quit after law enforcement authorities opened two pre-trial investigations into his business dealings and amid growing questions within the public about his past.

The Constitution stipulates that when the prime minister resigns, the entire Cabinet must resign as well.

According to the law on the Government, once the government resigns, the president must be notified of this the same day. The president will have to sign a decree accepting the resignation of the government and entrusting it with temporary functions until a new Cabinet is appointed. The president will also have to appoint an interim prime minister.

The new prime minister will also be nominated by the Social Democrats, who have the largest group in the Lithuanian parliament, and will decide on their nomination at the Presidium meeting on Wednesday.

Once the new prime minister's nomination has been approved by the Seimas, he or she will have up to 15 days to submit to the Seimas a new government program pre-agreed with the president. It will also have to be approved by the parliament.

As the prime minister changes, the three-party coalition agreement should also be amended during this period, as it states that "the parties undertake to support the coalition government led by Prime Minister Gintautas Palucas and to act in accordance with this agreement and the Government Program".

The Democrats "For Lithuania", one of the parties in the ruling bloc, do not rule out demanding changes to the makeup of the coalition so that it no longer includes the controversial Nemunas Dawn party. The LSDP group has 52 representatives in the Seimas. It's part of the ruling coalition with the Nemunas Dawn party (19 seats on the Seimas) and the Democrats "For Lithuania" (15). This coalition has a total of 86 members out of 141 lawmakers.