VILNIUS (Reuters) -Lithuania’s ruling Social Democrats party said on Wednesday it had picked Social Affairs Minister Inga Ruginiene as its candidate for prime minister, making her the likely successor to Gintautas Paluckas who resigned on Monday. The 44-year old social affairs minister and former trade union leader Ruginiene will face a confidence vote in Lithuania’s […]
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Lithuania Social Democrats pick Inga Ruginiene as PM candidate
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VILNIUS (Reuters) -Lithuania’s ruling Social Democrats party said on Wednesday it had picked Social Affairs Minister Inga Ruginiene as its candidate for prime minister, making her the likely successor to Gintautas Paluckas who resigned on Monday.
The 44-year old social affairs minister and former trade union leader Ruginiene will face a confidence vote in Lithuania’s parliament and must get lawmakers’ approval for her cabinet programme before taking office.
“Today we took the decision to nominate social minister Inga Ruginiene as Social Democrat candidate for prime minister duties”, the party’s Chair Mindaugas Sinkevicius told reporters.
The Social Democrat party holds 52 out of 141 seats in Parliament and has formed a government coalition with the centre-left For Lithuania and populist Nemunas Dawn.
(Reporting by Andrius Sytas, editing by Essi Lehto and Terje Solsvik)