Skvernelis Cabinet
Skvernelis Cabinet was the 17th cabinet of Lithuania since 1990. It consisted of the Prime Minister, who is the Head of Government, and 14 government ministers from the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union, Social Democratic Labour Party of Lithuania, Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania – Christian Families Alliance.
History
Peasants and Greens Union and Social Democratic Party coalition
After the parliamentary elections in 2016, President Dalia Grybauskaitė appointed Saulius Skvernelis, an independent politician who had led the electoral list of Peasants and Greens Union, as the Prime Minister on 22 November 2016. The cabinet received its mandate on 13 December 2016.[4]
On April 22, 2017, the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania elected its new chairman, Gintautas Paluckas. After his election, Gintautas Paluckas stated that he will seek to change coalition agreement made in winter of 2016.[5] By the summer of 2017 the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union and the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania disagreements on various issues (most notably on public forest enterprises) became more pronounced. In July, 2017 the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania announced that it will conduct districts branches' opinion polling, which final results came on September 23, 2017.[6]
Majority of the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania districts' branches voted for withdrawal from coalition, but majority of party's parliamentary group members in Seimas (10 members of 17) disagreed with this decision. In return, majority of the party's parliamentary group (12 members of 17 in parliamentary group) formed political groups' coalition with the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union.[7] As new coalition lacked members (only 69 members of the parliament were in this coalition), from October 2017 government became minority one.
Farmers and Greens Union and Social Democratic Labour Party coalition
By the end of 2017, 12 members of 17, which belonged to the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania parliamentary group, formed Social Democratic Labour parliamentary group. On March 24, 2018, this parliamentary group became part of new Social Democratic Labour Party of Lithuania. On April 24, 2018, this party and the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union formed an official coalition.[8]
By the summer of 2018, negotiations started between the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union, the Social Democratic Labour Party of Lithuania and the Order and Justice considering possible cooperation between them. On September 11, 2018, those parties signed a confidence and supply agreement. On May 29, 2019, Social Democratic Labour Party of Lithuania and Order and Justice chairmen Gediminas Kirkilas and Remigijus Žemaitaitis announced to the public that talks about expanded coalition between these parties and Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union has started.[9] On June 7, 2019, Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania – Christian Families Alliance council agreed that party should join these talks,[10] which were concluded on July 5, 2019.[11]
Farmers and Greens Union, Social Democratic Labour Party and Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania – Christian Families Alliance coalition
New coalition lasted just for two months as the Order and Justice parliamentary group dissolved itself on September 10, 2019, when majority of the Order and Justice parliamentary group's members founded new parliamentary group called "For the Welfare of Lithuania" (which by itself existed up until mid-January 2020).[12] On September 19, 2019, this parliamentary group signed a confidence and supply agreement with coalition's parties. On October 23, 2019, the Order and Justice had been expelled from coalition.[13] In spring, parliamentary group's "For the Welfare of Lithuania" members joined either Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union or Social Democratic Labour Party of Lithuania parliamentary groups.
On May 7, 2020, the Christian Union (consisting of 2 former members of the Homeland Union) expressed their support to the government.[14]
As the government was reaffirmed without approval of its programme, Constitutional Court of Lithuania ruled that by this Constitution of Lithuania was breached. However, the ruling will not be officially announced until December 23 in order to allow the government to finish serving its term.[15]
Cabinet
Position | Name | Party | Time | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
From | To | ||||
Prime Minister | Saulius Skvernelis | Independent | December 13, 2016 | December 11, 2020 | |
Education, Science and Sports | Jurgita Petrauskienė | Independent | December 13, 2016 | December 7, 2018 | |
Algirdas Monkevičius | Independent | January 15, 2019 | December 11, 2020 | ||
Energy | Žygimantas Vaičiūnas | Independent | December 13, 2016 | December 11, 2020 | |
Finance | Vilius Šapoka | Independent | December 13, 2016 | December 11, 2020 | |
Economy and Innovation | Mindaugas Sinkevičius | LSDP | December 13, 2016 | October 13, 2017 | |
Virginijus Sinkevičius | LVŽS | November 28, 2017 | November 30, 2019 | ||
Rimantas Sinkevičius | LSDDP | June 30, 2020 | December 11, 2020 | ||
Transport and Communications | Rokas Masiulis | Independent | December 13, 2016 | August 7, 2019 | |
Jaroslav Narkevič | LLRA-KŠS | August 7, 2019 | December 11, 2020 | ||
Culture | Liana Ruokytė-Jonsson | Independent | December 13, 2016 | December 21, 2018 | |
Mindaugas Kvietkauskas | Independent | January 11, 2019 | December 11, 2020 | ||
Defence | Raimundas Karoblis | Independent | December 13, 2016 | December 10, 2020 | |
Social Security and Labour | Linas Kukuraitis | Independent | December 13, 2016 | December 11, 2020 | |
Agriculture | Bronius Markauskas | LVŽS | December 13, 2016 | May 14, 2018 | |
Giedrius Surplys | LVŽS | May 15, 2018 | August 7, 2019 | ||
Andrius Palionis | LSDDP | August 7, 2019 | December 11, 2020 | ||
Interior | Eimutis Misiūnas | Independent | December 13, 2016 | August 7, 2019 | |
Rita Tamasuniene | LLRA-KŠS | August 7, 2019 | December 11, 2020 | ||
Foreign Affairs | Linas Antanas Linkevičius | LSDP | December 13, 2016 | December 11, 2020 | |
Independent | |||||
Justice | Milda Vainiutė | Independent | December 13, 2016 | March 6, 2018 | |
Elvinas Jankevičius | Independent | May 15, 2018 | December 11, 2020 | ||
Environment | Kęstutis Navickas | Independent | December 13, 2016 | December 7, 2018 | |
Kęstutis Mažeika | LVŽS | April 4, 2019 | December 11, 2020 | ||
Health | Aurelijus Veryga | Independent | December 13, 2016 | December 11, 2020 |
References
- ""Seimo opozicinės frakcijos susitarė dėl koalicijos demokratijai apginti ir opozicijos lyderės"".
- "Opozicijos lyderis J.Sabatauskas: apie ambicijas, V.Pranckiečio drąsą ir LSDP lūkesčius 2020-aisiais". 15min.lt.
- "G. Landsbergis tapo Seimo valdybos nariu". www.lrs.lt. 2020. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
- "Septynioliktoji Vyriausybė pradeda darbą". Government of Lithuania. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
- Gudavičius, Stasys. "Naujuoju LSDP pirmininku išrinktas Paluckas". vz.lt.
- Alfa.lt, Gytis Pankūnas. "Socdemų galvosūkis dėl koalicijos: ant kortos pastatytas ir Palucko likimas". alfa.lt.
- "Socialdemokratai susipyko: frakcija koalicijos nepaliks". lrytas.lt (in Lithuanian). 2017-09-25. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
- Gritėnas, Paulius. "R.Karbauskio valstiečiai pasirašė sutartį su G.Kirkilo socdarbiečiais: "Kitos politinės alternatyvos nėra"". 15min.lt.
- Gudavičius, Bns, Stasys. "Valdančiosios koalicijos sutartis stabdoma, pradedamos derybos dėl jos atnaujinimo". vz.lt.
- "V. Tomaševskis: dalyvausime derybose dėl valdančiosios koalicijos". lrytas.lt. June 7, 2019.
- "Baigiamos derybos dėl koalicijos: planuojama pasirašyti sutartį". Respublika.lt - naujienų ir žinių portalas.
- ""Tvarkiečių" atskalūnų frakcija – be M.Puidoko: "R.Karbauskiui asmeniškumai svarbiau nei stabilumas"". 15min.lt.
- "Koalicijoje neliko "Tvarkos ir teisingumo" partijos". tv3.lt.
- Tracevičiūtė, Roberta. "S.Skvernelis sulaukė palaikymo: paramą pažadėjo su V.Orbanu bendradarbiavimą užmezgę politikai". 15min.lt.
- https://www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/1221542/lithuania-s-top-court-finds-fault-with-government-s-reappointment