„This is a huge advance appreciation of the President, a vote of confidence. I appreciate it very much,“ Paluckas told journalists at the Seimas on Thursday.
„Time will tell, work will tell,“ he added.
As previously reported, on Wednesday, when approving the composition of the new Government, Nausėda hinted that although the new cabinet has only 12 members so far, it seems more capable than the Government of Ingrida Šimonytė, which started its work four years ago.
„On the whole – and I state this responsibly – this part of the Government that we already have, comparing the ministers by portfolios with the previous government, looks even more capable,“ Nausėda said at the Presidential Palace on Wednesday.
Talks with new ministerial candidates: we will make a deeper analysis of skills and competences
On Wednesday, President Nausėda confirmed 12 ministers for the new Government. Two posts – Environment and Justice – remained vacant. „The candidates Sigitas Podėnas and Virginijus Kulikauskas, put forward by Aušriečiai, did not pass the Presidential filter.
Paluckas indicated that he had not yet submitted the names of the new candidates to Nausėda but had already met with them and discussed the possibility of working in the Government.
„I have not yet submitted them, but I have met with the candidates and already spoken to them. But today is the day of the Government Programme; after that, we will continue the talks, and those submissions will be made later,“ the Prime Minister-designate told reporters.
„Not a bad impression, but I will take my time now. We will do a deeper analysis of skills and competencies,“ he added when asked about potential candidates.
ELTA recalls that President Nausėda signed a decree on the new Government's composition on Wednesday. The new cabinet is without two ministers, and it is still unclear who will head the Environment and Justice ministries.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister-designate Gintautas Paluckas announced that he had submitted only 12 ministerial nominations to the President. The Social Democrat pointed out that the names of Sigitas Podėnas, who was nominated by the Nemuno Aušra party to be Minister of the Environment, and Virginijus Kulikauskas, who was nominated to head the Ministry of Justice, had not been presented to Nausėda.
The President approved the nomination of Rimantas Šadžius, who had already held the post, as Minister of Finance, Dovilė Šakalienė, a Member of the Seimas, as Minister of National Defence, Šarūnas Birutis, a Member of the Seimas, as Member of the Seimas, Inga Ruginienė, a Member of the Seimas, as Minister of Social Security and Labour, and Eugenijus Sabutis, a Member of the Seimas, as Minister of Transport, Marija Jakubauskienė, Director of the Institute of Health Sciences of the Faculty of Medicine of Vilnius University; Raminta Popovienė, MP, Minister of Education, Science and Sport; Vladislavas Kondratovičius, Director of the Vilnius District Municipality Administration, Minister of the Interior; and Kęstutis Budrys, who until now has been the President's Senior Adviser on National Security, as Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Vardan Lietuvos nominated MP Lukas Savickas for the Ministry of Economy and Innovation and Žygimantas Vaičiūnas, who had already held this post, for the Ministry of Energy. The President approved their nominations.
At the same time, Nemuno Aušra had nominated Ignas Hofmanas, the Chairman of the Lithuanian Agriculture Council, as Minister of Agriculture. Unlike the other Nemuno Aušra candidates, he received the President's support.
