Inga Ruginiene. Photo: Euronews

VILNIUS, Aug 26, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Lithuania's parliament on Tuesday confirmed 
Inga Ruginiene as prime minister following the collapse of the previous 
government in July over a corruption scandal.

Ruginiene, who was social security minister in the old government, has vowed 
to continue supporting Ukraine and invest in the country's defence while 
seeking to reduce inequalities.

But several thousand people staged a demonstration against the new 
government, with organisers accusing it of including politicians who oppose 
sanctions against Russia and Belarus as well as anti-vaccine campaigners.

Ruginiene, a 44-year-old former trade union leader who is from the Lithuanian 
Social Democratic Party LSDP, the biggest in the ruling coalition, now has 15 
days to put her cabinet and government programme to a vote.

"My biggest dream is to stand in front of you again at the end of my mandate 
and to say that we have been able to accomplished very important work," 
Ruginiene, who was only elected as a lawmaker last year, told parliament.

Former Social Democrat prime minister Gintautas Paluckas resigned on August 1 
amid an investigation into several companies he was linked with.

The current coalition, led by the LSDP, includes the populist Nemunas Dawn 
party, the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union, the Electoral Action of Poles 
in Lithuania-Christian Families, and independent lawmakers.

The centre-left Democrats "For Lithuania" has withdrawn saying it could not 
work with Nemunas Dawn, whose leader Remigijus Zemaitaitis gave up his 
parliament seat in 2023 over controversy about alleged antisemitic comments 
but was reelected last year.

President Gitanas Nauseda has backed the new government but told a Lithuanian 
radio station on Tuesday that including Nemunas Dawn was "a mistake that was 
difficult to avoid".

Waldemar Tomaszewski, head of the Polish-Christian alliance and a European 
parliament member, was accused of supporting the Kremlin, but denied the 
allegations.

One of the independent deputies, Ignas Vegele, made headlines by campaigning 
against restrictions imposed during the Coronavirus pandemic. He came third 
in Lithuania's presidential election last year when he vowed to oppose "LGBTQ 
propaganda".