Lithuania's parliament elects Ruginiene as prime minister

The 44-year-old Social Democrat was voted in by 78 MPs with 35 votes against and 14 abstentions. She must now be formally appointed by President Gitanas Nauseda and then submit her cabinet and government program to a further vote in parliament.

Ruginiene was nominated by Nauseda two weeks ago as a candidate for the head of government. The long-standing leader of the Lithuanian Trade Union Confederation had previously been proposed by her party as the successor to Gintautas Paluckas, who resigned at the beginning of August following allegations of dubious business dealings and conflicts of interest.

Protests against government alliance

Ruginiene said that she would continue Lithuania's support for Ukraine. She also wants to stick to her predecessor's plan to spend between five and six percent of gross domestic product on defense in the coming years. In future, an armored brigade of the German Bundeswehr will also be permanently stationed in Lithuania. The Social Democrat is relying on a new center-left coalition of her party with Nemunas' populist Dawn Party, the Farmers and Greens Alliance and the election campaign of the Poles of Lithuania - Christian Family Alliance. The four-party alliance, which signed a coalition agreement at the beginning of the week and against which there were public protests, together hold 82 seats in the 141-seat parliament.