"I don’t have information on the suspension of the competition," Ramunė Hazir told BNS.
If not halted, the competition will conclude on Friday. Only one application has been submitted.
Following a government meeting on Wednesday, Palaitis, member of the ruling Liberal and Center Union, said it would be "rational to halt the competition" following agreement on the FCIS's structural reforms. But later tension between coalition partners mounted, when Lithuanian Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius said on Thursday he had agreed with leader of the Liberal and Center Union, Algis Čaplikas, on the minister's resignation. Čaplikas later denied the agreement, saying that the prime minister was lying.
A court can also halt the competition. Former FCIS director Vitalijus Gailius and his deputy Vytautas Giržadas, who had appealed against their dismissal, also asked court to do so. The court will rule after deciding whether to accept the appeals or reject them. The court must make the decision by next Tuesday, a week after the appeals were filed.