„I would very much like to see the parties themselves taking responsibility first and not to putting forward candidates who would give very ambiguous thoughts not only for me, but for the whole society. They themselves should have an interest in that,“ Nausėda told the LRT forumas show on Monday evening.
The president also said that competences or political backgrounds of the nominees for the new Cabinet will not be a single key criterion. Ministerial candidates with reputational challenges will be asked whether they would be willing to leave the Government if they happen to face new problems, according to Nausėda.
„I would also like to hear a person’s honest answer if he has made a mistake and he clearly has a reputation problem that he has acquired during his activity. Is he ready to say firmly that in such a case he would give up the minister’s portfolio?“ Nausėda explained.
The president regretted he had not set up this expectation in 2020 as some of the ministers embroiled in scandals had not taken the necessary political responsibility.
„It may be that this was one of the aspects that I did not pay enough attention to when we talked about the previous Government. It is no secret that this or that minister, when confronted (&) in the same expenses’ scandal, for example, remained in their positions and said that everything was fine here,“ Nausėda said.
Lithuania will elect its next Seimas on 13 October. Fifteen parties are standing in the election.