As Lithuania’s ruling coalition grapples with growing tensions over the transfer of the Culture Ministry to the Nemunas Dawn party, Social Democratic Party leader and Jonava Mayor Mindaugas Sinkevičius has rejected the idea of forming a minority government.

“Let’s not go to extremes. Of all the possible options, a minority government seems the least likely,” Sinkevičius told reporters in Vilnius on Friday.

His remarks came a day after the opposition Homeland Union–Lithuanian Christian Democrats (HU-LCD) called on the Social Democrats to dissolve their coalition with Nemunas Dawn and form a new cabinet. The conservatives pledged to support a Social Democrat–led minority government if it assumed full responsibility for the country’s strategic direction.

Sinkevičius dismissed the proposal, calling it “political trolling.”

“The question is how sincere the opposition’s actions are — whether it truly wants to help or simply stir things up even more,” he said.

Social Democrats to Discuss Crisis on Saturday

Sinkevičius confirmed that the Social Democrats’ council will convene on Saturday to discuss possible solutions to the ongoing political crisis.

He acknowledged that the recent exchange of ministries — and the ensuing protests from Lithuania’s cultural community — had “rocked the state’s ship somewhat.”

“But we’re all in the same boat: cultural workers, educators, health professionals, and politicians,” he said. “The question is whether we’ll steer the ship through stormy seas together or start falling overboard one by one. One has fallen already; others may follow.”

Culture Ministry Dispute Sparks Backlash

Protests erupted across Lithuania’s cultural sector after the ruling coalition decided to hand over the Culture Ministry to Nemunas Dawn in exchange for the Energy Ministry. The reshuffle was seen as an attempt to meet President Gitanas Nausėda’s desire to keep Žygimantas Vaičiūnas as energy minister.

Tensions deepened when Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė and the president appointed Ignotas Adomavičius, a newcomer with little experience in cultural policy, as culture minister. Adomavičius resigned just one week after taking office.

Sinkevičius also suggested that President Nausėda has recently taken a step back from active involvement in government formation.

“I think the president understands very well what he’s doing and the consequences of his actions,” Sinkevičius said. “He mentioned yesterday that he would no longer act as if he’s leading a kindergarten or a children’s group. Of course, we don’t feel like children — we’re dealing with matters of state. But he probably burned his fingers a bit by being so involved in forming the government.”

Coalition Deadlock Persists

The coalition remains deadlocked over the appointment of a new culture minister. Representatives from Lithuania’s cultural community have stated they will reject any nominee put forward by Nemunas Dawn, and similar resistance has begun to surface in other sectors amid talk of further ministry swaps.

Currently, Education, Science and Sport Minister Raminta Popovienė is serving as acting culture minister.