VILNIUS — Lithuania has a new culture minister after Arūnas Gelūnas was sworn in to the post in Seimas on Friday.

His appointment to the position resolves almost three months of turmoil in the ministry and government since April, when the National Resurrection Party, led by Arūnas Valinskas went about pulling their own candidate from the minister’s position in this increasingly unstable ruling coalition.

Gelūnas, who can speak six languages including Lithuanian, Russian, English, French, Polish and Japanese, takes over from Remigijus Vilkaitis, who resigned under his own steam after his party began pressuring him out of the post.

Gelūnas was the third candidate to be proposed to the minister’s position and received President Dalia Grybauskaitė’s nod of approval, meaning he could be sworn in.

Not being a member of the Seimas or coalition, Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius and Valinskas had to work to get parliamentarians on side for his candidacy.

Vilkaitis came under fire when his party turned on him suddenly in April while he was out of the country on business. Kubilius was skeptical at first, but later accepted Vilkaitis’ letter of resignation.

He said he respected Vilkaitis as a person and in the role.

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