Lithuania’s parliamentary opposition is moving to convene an emergency session of the Seimas and is weighing impeachment proceedings against Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas amid growing scrutiny of his past and current business dealings.
Leaders from three opposition parties – the Homeland Union–Lithuanian Christian Democrats (TS-LKD), the Liberal Movement, and the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union – said Wednesday they are coordinating efforts to gather signatures and submit a formal request for the session, tentatively planned for mid-August.
“We will prepare the agenda for the session and then start collecting signatures,” TS-LKD leader Laurynas Kasčiūnas told BNS.
One-third of MPs – 47 out of 141 – can call an extraordinary session.
The extraordinary session would include the formation of a parliamentary commission to examine the possibility of impeachment and would summon Education Minister Raminta Popovienė and Defence Minister Dovilė Šakalienė for questioning on separate matters.
Popovienė is expected to answer questions about a controversial decision to add 10 points to school graduation exam scores – a measure taken after a big proportion of graduates failed to reach the passing score – while Šakalienė is being asked to explain the firing of military intelligence chief Col. Elegijus Paulavičius
Opposition leaders are also considering referring Paluckas’ case to the Constitutional Court to determine whether he was eligible to run in the 2020 and 2024 parliamentary elections, given questions about whether he fully served a prior court sentence.
The push follows a call Tuesday by the Farmers and Greens Union for Paluckas to resign. If he refuses, they say, impeachment should proceed.
Liberal Movement leader Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen said the session would also address “long-avoided” questions about Paluckas’ personal and professional background.
“What we’ve seen over the past weeks and months paints a picture of a man who has spent his adult life entangled in schemes and manipulations,” Čmilytė-Nielsen said. “He should not be leading the government.”
Several journalistic investigations have intensified public and political pressure. Earlier this month, Laisvės TV and the investigative centre Siena reported that Paluckas only completed repayment of €16,500 in damages to the Vilnius municipality this July, nearly a decade after the agreed deadline. He apologised, calling it an honest mistake.
Separately, Redakcija revealed that between 2009 and 2014, Paluckas and an associate purchased a property in a state forest under questionable circumstances. Prosecutors later returned the land to the state.
The Financial Crime Investigation Service (FNTT) is probing a €200,000 loan granted earlier this year to a company partially owned by Paluckas, while the Special Investigation Service (STT) is investigating his ties to another company and real estate deals from a decade ago.
Kasčiūnas said referring the matter to the Constitutional Court could help clarify whether Paluckas’ past legal obligations were fulfilled and whether he was properly monitored by judicial authorities.
“This is an unforgivable situation,” he said. “There was no oversight of how a court judgment was enforced.”
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