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Lithuanian coalition collapses as Social Democrats quit

Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis, whose Peasant and Greens Union holds 56 of parliament’s 141 seats, called the Social Democrats’ move "shortsighted."

25.09.2017

(Bloomberg) Lithuania’s 10-month-old ruling alliance collapsed after its junior partner quit, prompting the president to warn of "a phase of political instability" for the Baltic nation.

The Social Democrat Party decided on its departure at a vote Saturday after Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis bypassed coalition partners and sealed opposition support for reforms of state-owned forestry companies. Skvernelis, whose Peasant and Greens Union holds 56 of parliament’s 141 seats, called the Social Democrats’ move "shortsighted."