Lithuania Backs Former Union Leader as Premier Amid Protests

Lithuanian lawmakers voted to approve a Social Democrat, Inga Ruginiene, as the next prime minister despite protests over the party’s decision to invite a bloc led by a politician probed for antisemitism into the ruling coalition.

Lawmakers in Vilnius voted 78-35, with 14 abstentions, in favor of the former trade union leader. She will now have two weeks to form a cabinet and win final approval of its program in parliament. Ruginiene, 44, is a political newcomer who joined Social Democrats just nine months ago as a social affairs minister.