Lithuanian Prime Minister Resigns

• 31.07.2025, 11:12

Gintautas Palutskas is leaving his post amid a journalistic investigation.

Lithuanian Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas has decided to resign both as head of government and as chairman of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party, sources told LRT.

The news was later confirmed by President Gitanas Nauseda, who said the prime minister announced his resignation this morning.

"Today's news is that G. Palutskas called this morning and announced his resignation," the Lithuanian president said Thursday.

Gitanas Naouseda said that so far "none of the fundamental things are changing."

"The Lithuanian Social Democratic Party, which won the parliamentary elections and has a majority in the Seimas, will start consultations on forming a possible coalition," the president commented.

On Thursday, it became known that the Financial Crimes Investigation Service searched Palutskas' brother's wife's company, Dankora, which received European subsidies and purchased battery systems from Garnis, a firm partly owned by the prime minister himself. The final blow was the information that Dankora, a company linked to the Palutskas family, received European aid, a significant part of which was spent on purchases from his own company. After the publicity, the firm rushed to withdraw the subsidy.

Despite all this, Palutskas denied the allegations to the last, and his party's presidium said he should continue to work until the investigations were completed. However, the political pressure appeared to be too strong.