Lithuanian president proposes trial period for culture minister

VILNIUS - Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda has proposed a several-month trial period for Culture Minister Ignotas Adomavicius, nominated by Nemunas Dawn, as protests continue over his appointment and the party's control of the ministry.

Nauseda also said the ruling Social Democrats could work as a minority government, though he doubted whether they would have sufficient backing from the opposition.

"This minister will face a very difficult job. Today I spoke with the prime minister about the idea that she could play a kind of patron role and, together with the minister, help address the culture community's concerns," the president said on an LRT TV program aired on Monday evening.

"If it turns out in the coming months that the culture minister, either for personal or other reasons, cannot work effectively, then a new candidate will have to be found," he said.

Nauseda added that a three-month trial period for the minister would be a "fairly normal" arrangement.

The president stressed that the culture community's main objection was Nemunas Dawn's right to nominate the minister, not Adomavicius himself.

"Any other name - Petravicius, Antanavicius or someone else - would likely face the same resistance and would not solve the problem. So the path forward is this: the Social Democrats could shift to a minority government and fill these posts with their own ministers," he said.

The president admitted, however, that he doubted whether opposition parties that have declared support for a coalition without Nemunas Dawn could be relied upon.

"Perhaps after just a few days the opposition would say: we are the opposition, we don't have to back you on everything," he said. "Under current conditions, if such a government lasted a few months, that would already be a good result."

Nauseda also underlined the need to start work on next year's state budget "with a normal government," saying this was why he sought to approve the Cabinet without delay.

"The draft state budget must be submitted on October 17. Deadlines are strict, and if we fail to adopt it by mid-December, next year we will begin with a twelfth of the budget. That would hurt not only the culture sector but many others," he warned.

Nauseda had previously said he would not appoint Nemunas Dawn members as ministers, but as the government crisis deepened he changed his position and urged the cultural community to give Adomavicius a chance.

The president blamed this shift on "constitutional law experts" who, he argued, had been inconsistent in interpreting the president's role in government formation.

"You cannot at the same time say that submitting an incomplete government is unconstitutional, even though the Constitutional Court has not yet issued its final opinion, and then say: don't approve this minister because we don't like him," he said.

Nauseda said he had originally expressed the absence of Nemunas Dawn members from the Cabinet as a preference, which no one questioned at the time. The current crisis, he argued, stems from the ruling parties' decision to swap the Energy Ministry, previously overseen by Nemunas Dawn, for the Culture Ministry, previously under the Social Democrats.

"The Energy Ministry went to the Social Democrats, who nominated Mr. (Zygimantas) Vaiciunas. Nemunas Dawn got the culture portfolio, and here we have the problem we are now facing," the president said.

"This situation is not simple or comfortable. And if anyone thinks these decisions were made lightly, as if nothing had happened - that is certainly not the case. I can state that very clearly," he told the public broadcaster.

Adomavicius' appointment last week sparked criticism and protests from the culture community, which has vowed to continue its actions with a warning strike. Cultural figures say the minister is unfit for the job due to his lack of experience and knowledge of the field.

The minister has said he will work with the culture community to find common ground.

Meanwhile, organizers of the Vilnius Book Fair announced that Nauseda, Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene and Adomavicius would not be welcome at the event. In protest, members of the Literature Council and several other advisory bodies under the ministry have resigned.

Nauseda said the situation was painful for him personally but stressed that he wanted to hear cultural figures' views as he seeks to resolve the "unpleasant problem" surrounding the culture minister. In response to the protests, the president will meet with the culture community on Tuesday.