"Our party will hold a presidium meeting on 23 November to discuss and later propose candidates for the post of health minister. Both Andriukaitis and Vinkus are among the candidates. I haven't spoken to Vinkus yet and haven't made the proposal but please be assured that we will talk about it shortly. He is a person with extensive merits to Lithuania's health care," Butkevičius said.
Vinkus, a doctor by education, served as health care minister in 1994-1996.
Asked whether he would agree to swap the mayoral position in Neringa for the ministerial post, Vinkus replied: "The speculations are premature, nobody has spoken to me yet, I haven't received any offers."
Liutauras Labanauskas, president of the Lithuanian Doctors Society, says that Vinkus had not distanced himself from the sector, unlike Andriukaitis.
"It would be difficult for Andriukaitis to be the leader of the Health Care Ministry, as he has not been active in medicine for at least 20 years. Even at the Seimas, he did not work in committees related to medicine and health. Meanwhile, Vinkus has served as a health care minister, he knows the details, he is still close to health care," he added.
Later on Tuesday, Lithuania's President Dalia Grybauskaitė will present Butkevičius as a candidate for prime minister to parliament.
Butkevičius is forming the ruling center-left coalition with the Labour Party, the Order and Justice party, and the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania, which will have 86 seats in the 141-member parliament.
