Lithuania parliament gives nod to likely prime minister Ruginiene

VILNIUS (Reuters) -Lithuania's parliament on Tuesday voted in favour of letting Social Affairs Minister Inga Ruginiene seek to form a new cabinet, bringing her a step closer to leading the government.

Ruginiene of the ruling Social Democrats party must still get the president to approve her cabinet, and will face a second vote by parliament in September to confirm its manifesto.

The 44-year-old former trade union leader joined the cabinet only in 2024 and has been thrust into the limelight following the sudden resignation last month of Gintautas Paluckas over his business ties to a company owned by his sister-in-law.

Ruginiene has said she will continue Lithuania's support for Ukraine, and Paluckas' government pledge to spend 5-6% of gross domestic product on defence over the next several years.

Finance Minister Rimantas Sadzius is currently the acting prime minister until a new cabinet is sworn in.

(Reporting by Andrius Sytas, editing by Terje Solsvik)