After about 12 hours of debate, lawmakers wrapped up consideration of proposed amendments governing the appointment and dismissal of the head of Lithuania’s public broadcaster, LRT, during an unscheduled session on Wednesday.
Parliament is now one step away from adopting the changes. The ruling coalition hopes to pass the amendments during the Seimas’ autumn session, before Christmas.
Late Tuesday, lawmakers unexpectedly backed a satirical amendment introduced by conservative lawmaker Dalia Asanavičiūtė-Gružauskienė that would involve opposition lawmaker Agnė Širinskienė’s cat, Nuodėgulis, in the dismissal of the LRT director-general.
On Wednesday, during a vote on the full package of amendments after deliberation, 67 lawmakers supported the version including the cat-related provision, while 47 voted against. No one abstained.
Approval of the amendment replaces the wording of a Social Democrat-sponsored proposal on the dismissal of the LRT head that had previously been endorsed by the Culture Committee. The provision could still be changed during the final adoption stage of the legislative process.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
