Skvernelis greenlighted by parliament to continue as Lithuania's PM

Source: Xinhua| 2019-07-23 22:14:44|Editor: xuxin
Video PlayerClose

VILNIUS, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Lithuania's parliament on Tuesday supported the acting Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis as the country's head of the government for the rest of its term after 83 MPs voted in favor of Skvernelis as the PM, one against and 30 abstained.

After the vote, Skvernelis said that he will introduce in the nearest future the updated cabinet to the country's president.

"I should introduce the candidates within 15 days, yet I believe I will do that earlier. At least three ministers will be replaced," Skvernelis was quoted as speaking to reporters by local media.

He added that the names of potential new ministers would be revealed once candidacies are harmonized with President Gitanas Nauseda and it is ascertained that they have immaculate reputation and meet anticorruption requirements.

Skvernelis underlined the importance of the opposition's role while adopting the most important decisions.

"The previous years have shown that decisions could not be adopted only with the votes of the parliamentary majority, therefore the opposition is important. We need to cooperate, communicate and look for the right decisions," he said.

Meanwhile, the liberal opposition's leader Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen criticized Skvernelis during parliamentary debates due to lack of concrete information on the ministers to be replaced and the unanswered question whether any women-ministers would be appointed.

According to her, the PM "offers to play poker when all the cards remain covered until the last moment while trying to convince us that he is not bluffing this time."

Since April this year, women have been absent from Skvernelis' cabinet, prompting criticism towards the government due to gender inequality.

Skvernelis and his government formally returned the cabinet's mandate to the new president on July 12, inauguration day, according to the law on the president. Since Nauseda's inauguration the cabinet has been serving as acting government.

As reported earlier, Lithuania's ruling Farmers and Greens Union started the talks on a renewed coalition following May's presidential election. After prolonged discussions, four parliamentary political parties signed a renewed coalition agreement on July 5.

TOP STORIES
EDITOR’S CHOICE
MOST VIEWED
EXPLORE XINHUANET
010020070750000000000000011100001382516451