President Gitanas Nausėda appointed him a day earlier. The prime minister nominated the new minister on 19 March.
Kasčiūnas, an MP of the Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrat party (TS-LKD), previously chaired the Seimas Committee on National Security and Defence. Now parliament will have to select a new chairperson and MP Arvydas Pocius (TS-LKD) is regarded as the most realistic candidate for this position.
Kasčiūnas succeeds Arvydas Anušauskas as Minister of National Defence. The latter unexpectedly announced his resignation on 15 March.
Anušauskas stated that he was stepping down after rejecting Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė’s proposal of a reshuffle, where he would be replaced by an MP and head a parliamentary committee instead.
The PM stated that the minister’s resignation is linked to expectations for the Government “to achieve more and faster” in the remaining term of office until parliamentary elections this October.
