"I am to approve the Cabinet of ministers within 15 days after appointing the prime minister, as stipulated by the law, and I will definitely approve some sort of government. (…) I have not received an agreed (list of) Cabinet of ministers," she said.
The president said she had three key requirements for candidates nominated by all political parties.
"I deem Labor Party candidates suitable if they, just like candidates of all other parties, meet the qualification requirements. The general requirements include familiarity with the sector they want to be ministers in, knowledge of the so-called European agenda, as Lithuania will have to hold presidency, and the agenda for the specific sector, as well as being able to communicate in one of the working European languages. Regardless of their party affiliations, all (candidates) for ministers falling short of the three main requirements will not be approved," Grybauskaitė told reporters on Wednesday.
She urged candidates for ministers to be more critical of their own potential, especialy in the light of the Lithuanian presidency over the European Union (EU) in the second half of 2013.
"I wish for all ministers to be more critical and think carefully whether they will be capable of heading the sector in entire Europe. If the ministers manage to take a more critical view of themselves, I believe there will be no conflicts and problems," Grybauskaitė said.
Prime Minister-Designate Algirdas Butkevičius has said the president rejected two of the Labor Party's candidates – Loreta Graužiniene for the Ministry of Social Security and Labor and Virginija Baltraitienė for the Ministry of Education and Science – as unsuitable for the posts.
The Labor Party's presidium held an emergency meeting on Tuesday evening, inviting Butkevičius to attend. After the meeting, the party said it had decided to stick to its position and the proposed candidates.
Grybauskaitė appointed Butkevičius as Lithuania's new prime minister on November 26. According to the Constitution, the prime minister is appointed and dismissed by the president, with parliamentary approval.
Within 15 days after the appointment, the prime minister-designate has to propose a president-approved cabinet and its program to parliamentary vote.
The government receives a mandate of operations after the majority of MPs attending the meeting vote in support of the program.
Incomplete Cabinet
Lithuania's new government may be proposed without two ministers, should the Labor Party refuse to propose new candidates for ministers of social security and education, Prime Minister-Designate Algirdas Butkevičius of the Social Democrats says.
He announced on Wednesday that President Dalia Grybauskaitė knew names of all candidates.
The candidacies are currently being coordinated, a process Butkevičius says could last until Friday.
