The 14th Seimas of Lithuania is holding its first sitting on Thursday, and the cabinet of Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė is returning its mandate to the president.
The 2024–2028 parliamentary term began with a swearing-in ceremony for the new members.
As required by the Statute of the Seimas, the first sitting will be opened by the eldest MP. This time, it is 73-year-old Social Democrat Birutė Vėsaitė.
She will preside until a new speaker of the Seimas is elected. The ruling coalition of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP), the Nemunas Dawn party and the Democratic Union “For Lithuania” has agreed to nominate former prime minister Saulius Skvernelis, the Democrats’ leader, for the post.
The Seimas is also expected to elect deputy speakers and confirm the composition of its Board and Conference of Chairs.
The new parliament was addressed by President Gitanas Nausėda, Vilnius Archbishop Gintaras Grušas, and Lina Petronienė, chairwoman of the Central Electoral Commission.
In the afternoon, Prime Minister Šimonyte returned the government’s mandate to the president. Her cabinet will stay on as a caretaker government until the new government’s program is approved and new ministers are sworn in.
The LSDP holds the most seats, 52, in the new Seimas.
The parliament also includes 28 MPs from the Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats, 20 from the Nemunas Dawn, 14 from the Democratic Union “For Lithuania”, 12 from the Liberal Movement, eight from the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union, three from the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania-Christian Families Alliance, one from the National Alliance and the Freedom and Justice Party each, and two independents.
Outside the parliament, a group of activists will stage a protest against the inclusion of the Nemunas Dawn, whose leader is currently on trial for anti-Semitic statements, in the new ruling coalition.
Similar protests will also be held in Kaunas and Tauragė.
President Nausėda: Seimas, not social media, is your workplace
President Gitanas Nausėda, welcoming the members of the new Seimas, warned of the responsibilities and the test of power that lie ahead, and stressed that the fulfilment of promises cannot be an occasional phenomenon.
“Your wisdom, values and sense of justice will be put under a magnifying glass. No slip-up, no major mistake will escape public scrutiny,” he said.
Nausėda stressed that the current geopolitical situation will not allow for any respite, and the complex external challenges will not make domestic decisions easier.
“Keeping promises, maintaining high standards of transparency, and dialogue with citizens must not be occasional, but a daily occurrence,” he said.
The president stressed the importance of Lithuania’s cooperation with its partners in NATO and the European Union, the implementation of joint agreements with its allies, the determination to strengthen its defence capabilities and to increase investments in the field of defence and security.
As one of the challenges and opportunities ahead, Mr Nausėda mentioned the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2027.
He also stressed the responsibility of parliament for the sentiments and consensus of the people.
“It is dangerous to divide and divide society, to show disrespect and promote hatred. Not only the internal but also the external security of our homeland depends on it,” said Nausėda.
He urged the new parliamentarians to work constructively with the country’s business, non-governmental organisations, local, academic and cultural communities, active citizens, and the local government.
The president stressed that what is lacking today is an effective regional policy coordinated at the government level.
“Many of you have valuable experience in local government. So use it to solve the problems of people from different regions of Lithuania. Look for ways to better reflect the principles of decentralisation and subsidiarity to make local government even stronger. Don’t alienate the people who elected you,” Nausėda said.
“From this moment on, the Seimas building is your workplace, not social networks. From today onwards, it is not the likes, but the decisions taken that are the yardstick for evaluating the results of your work,” the president said.
Protest action
Opposition MPs left the hall when Remigijus Žemaitaitis, the leader of the Nemunas Dawn party who is on trial for anti-Semitic statements, was giving his oath of office.
The Constitutional Court has ruled that Žemaitaitis violated the constitution and broke his oath of office because of anti-Semitic statements made during his term in office. In addition, he is facing criminal proceedings for hate speech. Žemaitaitis has denied charges of anti-Semitism, saying his statements were criticism of Israel.
On Thursday, 137 elected members gave oath of office in alphabetical order. Žemaitaitis was the last one to be sworn in. Several elected politicians have refused the seat, most of them in order to continue their term in the European Parliament. They include Social Democratic leader Vilija Blinkevičiūtė and conservative leader and outgoing Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, who said he was suspending his political career over his party's poor performance in the elections.
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