Lithuania’s parliament, Seimas, will likely cancel a planned extraordinary session to consider amendments that would make it easier to dismiss the director of public broadcaster LRT, after the head of the Culture Committee fell ill.
Parliament Speaker Juozas Olekas said the final decision will be made by the parliamentary board. Lawmakers cannot take up the bill until the committee reviewing it completes its work.
Culture Committee Chairman Kęstutis Vilkauskas was hospitalised Thursday, leaving the committee unable to discuss the proposed amendments.
“We will probably cancel the plenary session because we do not have the materials and the committee has not considered it,” Olekas told reporters. “We will meet in the board and then decide.”
It remains unclear when a new extraordinary session could be scheduled, as Vilkauskas’ health condition is still unknown. Parliament had aimed to pass the amendments before the end of the current parliamentary session on December 23.
The ruling coalition seeks to allow the LRT director general to be dismissed by a secret vote of seven of the 12 LRT Council members.
Under current law, the director general can be removed only by an open vote requiring eight of 12 Council members, and dismissal must be justified by the public interest.
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