Farmers & Greens set for coalition talks without Karbauskis and Vėgėlė

The Farmers and Greens (LVŽS) has set up a special working group for coalition talks with the Social Democratic Party (LSDP) that includes neither party leader Ramūnas Karbauskis nor lawyer Ignas Vėgėlė, who won an MP seat after joining the LVŽS’ candidate list.

"We have approved Valius Ąžuolas, Aušrinė Norkienė, Dainius Gaižauskas and Rimantas Jankūnas," Norkienė told ELTA after her party’s board meeting on Monday.

Bronis Ropė was also picked to substitute for Jankūnas when he is unable to attend the talks, she added.

LVŽS leader Karbasuskis on Monday afternoon explained his absence from the working group tasked with aligning programmes of potential coalition partners and posts in the ruling majority.

"Neither I nor Ignas Vėgėlė are in the negotiating group. It was my own suggestion. We do not want to create additional problems in coordinating all our issues among the parties in the coalition," Karbauskis told reporters.

The LVŽS secured eight seats in the next Parliament.