Lithuanian Parliament Approves Paluckas for Prime Minister

The Lithuanian Parliament, the Seimas, voted 88-34 with six abstentions to appoint Gintautas Paluckas as the next Prime Minister, media reported.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda nominated Paluckas to lead Lithuania's 19th government after he was put forward by the new ruling coalition, which includes the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP), Dawn of Nemunas (PPNA) and the Democratic Union "For Lithuania" (DSVL), Xinhua news agency reported.

Paluckas met with the President on Thursday to discuss the formation of a new Cabinet, according to the Baltic News Service (BNS) report. He will have 15 days to form a new Cabinet and present his government's program to the Seimas.

Paluckas, a 45-year-old Social Democrat, was picked to lead the government after the LSDP's leader Vilija Blinkeviciute chose to keep her seat in the European Parliament and declined both the premiership and a seat in the Seimas.

Paluckas, a 45-year-old computer scientist, was LSDP leader between 2017 and 2021, and deputy mayor of Vilnius between 2015 and 2019.

Following parliamentary elections on October 13 and October 27, the LSDP became the leading party, securing 52 of the 141 parliamentary seats, while the PPNA and the DSVL won 20 and 14 seats respectively.