Articles by LT Daily

Next year’s budget is turning into a task for the new cabinet, which has yet to form and the new Seimas, which started work this week. The President has already presented the candidacy of Saulius Skvernelis for the post of PM, next week he will likely become the head of cabinet with little to no resistance and will announce his ministers. The new Seimas Speaker Viktoras Pranckietis discussed the coming term on the Savaitė show on LRT TV. […]

US surveillance plane in the Zuokniai airport in Lithuania

Kojala – we have to remain calm and see NATO as one unit

On Friday the BBC published a text on the fate of the Baltic States with Donald Trump taking power in the United States. The publication points out that Lithuania is afraid of potential Russian aggression […]

“Peasants” to resolve demographic crisis through stricter abortion regulations?

The state and the Church are separate in Lithuania, but is the latter separate from Seimas? This parliament, it appears will present a number of laws based on Church doctrine. This will most likely receive […]

Lithuanians value the EU, but feel unimportant

Recent polls show that the Lithuanian population view their membership in the European Union positively and acknowledge its benefits. At the same time the data shows that the citizens believe that their opinion is unimportant […]

The minister puzzle – which names are already clear and what does the President objects to?

November 17, 2016 LT Daily 0

With Saulius Skvernelis having been proposed as PM, he is beginning to piece together a ministerial cabinet. He has two weeks for this, but some ministries lack interested candidates, while some the President finds some […]

Karbauskis – “we will have more than half of the mayors in Lithuania”

November 17, 2016 LT Daily 0

With his party winning the Seimas elections, Lithuanian Peasant and Greens Union (LPGU) Chairman Ramūnas Karbauskis is already thinking about the 2019 municipal elections and hopes to take more than half the municipality leader posts. […]

Saulius Skvernelis, Ramūnas Karbauskis, Dalia Grybauskaitė

“Peasant” relations with the President – three scenarios

The departing government of Algirdas Butkevičius has poor relations with President Dalia Grybauskaitė. The head of state did not miss opportunities to sting or ridicule the Social Democrat-led cabinet, while the PM himself stated that […]

Skvernelis on cabinet puzzle – Jankevičius to head Ministry of Interior?

Having received the support of the President Dalia Grybauskaitė and having been proposed as a Prime Minister candidate by the Lithuanian Peasant and Greens Union (LPGU), Saulius Skvernelis remains unwilling to discuss the names of […]

On the new Seimas Speaker

58 year old Lithuanian Peasant and Greens Union candidate Viktoras Pranckietis has been elected as the new Seimas Speaker. His candidacy was supported by 93 members of Seimas. His opponent, Liberal Eugenijus Gentvilas received 36 votes. […]

The President and the future PM – has the axe been buried?

President Dalia Grybauskaitė has signed a decree that proposes Saulius Skvernelis as a candidate to the post of Prime Minister. Only the blessing of Seimas is needed now. The President, in her typical fashion, has […]

Interview with S. Skvernelis – highlights

November 15, 2016 LT Daily 0

The Lithuanian Peasant and Greens Union frontrunner Saulius Skvernelis has been just proposed by the President Dalia Grybauskaitė to become the head of the new cabinet. On Wednesday last week, his party signed a coalition agreement with the Social Democrats, upon which the new state government will be based. Skvernelis spoke on reform, party influence and posts, experience in the police and what of it can be employed in government in an interview with Vakarinė Palanga. […]

During the first session of the Seimas for 2016-2020

Karbauskis addresses concerns – “controlling” posts will go to opposition

Lithuanian Peasant and Greens Union (LPGU) Chairman Ramūnas Karbauskis is attempting to ease the future opposition’s concerns – “controlling” posts in various parliamentary committees and commissions will go specifically to the opposition. Earlier unofficial information […]

Economists critical of “Peasant” tax reform proposals

The Peasant and Greens Union promises a tax reform. It promises much on paper, but according to some economists, lacks specifics. Prime Minister candidate Saulius Skvernelis has announced that private income tax would rise almost […]

Exeting the Ministry of Economy and Ministry of Energy

A signal to Russia – energy is not a priority in Lithuania

The new Seimas term begins on Monday, with the Peasant and Greens fraction claiming to hold almost 60 members of 141. As such its proposals will have to be considered by both its coalition partners […]

MEP Auštrevičius on Trump, the Eurpean Army and 2% on defence

The US President Elect has said that Europe can no longer hide under the American security umbrella. According to Donald Trump, US assistance will be provided under the condition that European states will adequately invest […]

Karbauskis cautious in speaking on defence spending

The leader of the newly elected government Ramūnas Karbauskis is cautious in discussions of a defence spending in excess of 2% of the GDP. “Our programme includes a section where defence spending has to be […]

Saulius Skvernelis ir Gabrielius Landsbergis

Peasants’ flirting with Conservatives continues

Having built a coalition, the “Peasants” and Social Democrats will be forced to seek support from parties that ended up in the opposition in regard to a number of questions. Writing names in non-Lithuanian symbols, […]

Algirdas Butkevičius, Ramūnas Karbauskis

Most likely candidates for minister posts

Saulius Skvernelis is already being titled as the next Prime Minister, but he assures that the list of candidates for minister posts will only be announced when he is confirmed as head of the cabinet […]

Adamkus – any pandering to Russia would be political suicide for Trump

Donald Trump‘s victory in the US presidential elections left the world shocked. Few believed it and most were disappointed. British and other European media describes this as the greatest mistake of the American electorate in history because the real estate magnate is seen as a liar, bully, populist and has gone bankrupt a number of times. What can we expect after Trump‘s victory? LRT spoke with former Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus, first post-independence head of state and one of the leaders of the independence movement Prof Vytautas Landsbergis, as well as Minister of Foreign Affairs Linas Linkevičius. […]

Presidential candidate Donald Trump at the debates in Huston

Experts on whether Lithuania should be wary of Trump’s victory