Three Lithuanian parties sign coalition deal, form 75-seat majority in Seimas

Lithuania's three incoming coalition parties have finalised the text of their coalition agreement, with ministerial portfolios expected to be settled on Monday evening and the identity of the next prime minister likely to be confirmed on Tuesday.

The coalition, comprising the Social Democrats led by Mindaugas Sinkevičius, the Democratic Union "For Lithuania" led by Virginijus Sinkevičius, and the Lithuanian Farmers, Greens and Christian Families Union, will hold 75 seats in the Seimas. The Social Democrats had earlier dropped the populist Nemunas Dawn party and invited the Democrats in their place.

Virginijus Sinkevičius said on Monday morning that the text was complete and would be submitted to each party's governing bodies for approval. The agreement does not yet name a prime minister, though he said he already knew Mindaugas Sinkevičius' decision.

"I will leave space for the Social Democrats, for Mindaugas himself, to announce that final decision," he said.

The Social Democratic council is expected to meet on Tuesday to deliberate on the matter. Speculation has been building for weeks over whether Mindaugas Sinkevičius will take the premiership himself or continue to back incumbent Inga Ruginienė. President Gitanas Nausėda on Sunday publicly urged him to make his intentions clear.

How posts will be divided

Under the coalition agreement, both the premiership and the Seimas speakership will remain with the Social Democrats. The Democrats will receive the first deputy speaker post, the Social Democrats will hold three further deputy speaker positions, and the Farmers one.

In terms of cabinet seats, the Social Democrats will nominate nine ministers, the Democrats three, and the Farmers' Union two. Further details on specific portfolios are expected after Monday evening's talks between the party leaders, with environment, health, energy and agriculture among the positions under discussion.

Policy priorities

The incoming coalition has committed to a centre-left, socially oriented programme described as financially sustainable and investment-friendly, with priorities including quality public services, dignified employment, secure retirement, strong families and viable regions.

On defence, the most prominent commitment, the parties have pledged to maintain spending of no less than 5% of GDP, develop air threat detection and anti-drone systems, improve public warning infrastructure, and receive as well as equip the German brigade currently being deployed to Lithuania.

The agreement also sets a target for Lithuania's national division to reach full operational capacity by 2030, capable of operating alongside allied forces under NATO standards.

The parties have also committed to strengthening cybersecurity and commissioning audits of state registers and critical information systems.

On foreign policy, the agreement reaffirms strong support for Ukraine, NATO and the transatlantic partnership, and commits to pragmatic normalisation of relations with China, without compromising Lithuania's security and sovereignty interests.

"We will seek to normalise diplomatic relations with China to the level of diplomatic representation that exists in other EU member states," the document states.

Lithuania's relations with Beijing downgraded in 2021 after Vilnius allowed Taiwan to open a representative office under its own name.

On social policy, the coalition has promised to overhaul the child benefit system so that families do not lose income when a child is born, expand childcare availability, strengthen after-school provision and accelerate pension indexation.

In healthcare, the parties plan to increase the state contribution to the compulsory health insurance fund, raise nurses' pay and reduce waiting times.

On energy, the coalition aims for Lithuania to generate more electricity than it consumes by 2028 through expanding renewable capacity, storage and grid infrastructure, while ensuring more transparent and stable pricing for consumers and businesses.

Other commitments include reducing administrative burdens on farmers, modernising waste management, accelerating building renovation, extending digital public services and combating corruption and the shadow economy.

Coalition discipline

The agreement includes provisions on coalition discipline. All members of the coalition majority are bound by its commitments, but any member who cannot support a proposal on grounds of conscience, conviction or fundamental political disagreement may abstain — provided they do not actively obstruct the vote, notify their group leader in advance, and, where the matter could affect coalition stability, inform the coalition council.

On sensitive social and ethical issues, including family policy, bioethics and human rights, the coalition council will determine in advance whether a given vote is treated as a coalition commitment or a matter of conscience.

Any coalition member whose parliamentary immunity is sought by the P…