Ingrida Simonyte approved as new Lithuania PM

RIGA: The Lithuanian parliament on Tuesday voted in Ingrida Simonyte as the new prime minister of the Baltic country, with 62 lawmakers voting in favour and 10 against the independent politician who formerly served as finance minister. Simonyte had been nominated for the position of head of government by President Gitanas Nauseda last week, after the conservative Homeland Union emerged as the strongest force in the October 25 parliamentary elections. Although independent, Simontye had run as lead candidate for the party, which has since formed a governing coalition with two liberal parties, the Liberal Movement and the Freedom Party, giving them a narrow majority of 74 of a total of 141 seats in parliament. However, the governing coalition had to do without the votes of the Liberal Movement on Tuesday, since the entire faction of the party is currently in self-isolation. — DPA