Gintautas Paluckas confirmed as Lithuania’s new prime minister

Lithuania’s parliament on Thursday green-lighted Gintautas Paluckas, deputy leader of the election-winning Social Democrats (LSDP), to be the country’s next prime minister, Report informs via POLITICO.

Paluckas, a former head of the LSDP, had been expected to become premier after the party’s leader, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, decided she would rather remain a member of the European Parliament than become prime minister.

Paluckas now has 15 days to form a Cabinet and present his government’s priorities to the parliament.

After winning the election in late October, LSDP announced that it will form a coalition with the right-wing Nemunas Dawn party and the center-left For Lithuania party. The inclusion of Nemunas Dawn — whose leader, Remigijus Žemaitaitis, is on trial for antisemitic statements — sparked protests last week.

Prosecutor General Nida Grunskienė on Wednesday asked the parliament to strip Žemaitaitis of immunity.

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