Lithuania’s ruling coalition has decided to postpone adoption of amendments to the law governing the national public broadcaster, LRT, until next year, amid mass protests, fierce opposition resistance and parliamentary filibustering.
Seimas Speaker Juozas Olekas said Friday that lawmakers will conclude the autumn session on December 23 without returning to the controversial amendments, which would make it easier to dismiss LRT’s director general.
“We will return with a broader discussion on governance and formation at the beginning of next year, possibly involving members of the Seimas, representatives of the public and experts,” Olekas told reporters.
He said work in the parliamentary Committee on Culture is expected to resume once its chair, Social Democrat Kęstutis Vilkauskas, returns from sick leave, potentially by the end of the year or early next year. Only after that could the bill be put to a plenary vote.
Lawmakers will also continue discussions after meeting with President Gitanas Nausėda next week, Olekas said, adding that “certain lines” were crossed during the debate.
The proposed amendments would allow the LRT director general to be dismissed by a secret vote of seven of the broadcaster’s 12-member council if an annual activity report is rejected or duties are deemed improperly fulfilled. Under current law, dismissal requires an open vote of at least eight council members and must be justified by public interest.
Opposition lawmakers say the changes threaten the independence of the public broadcaster and media freedom. More than 10,000 people have taken part in protests outside parliament over the past two weeks.
The amendments stalled after Vilkauskas fell ill during a remote committee meeting Thursday, forcing the cancellation of an unscheduled Seimas session later that day. Under parliamentary rules, the bill cannot be adopted until all proposals are reviewed by the main committee.
Opposition parties have registered more than 700 amendments, many of them designed to delay proceedings. During the deliberation stage, lawmakers even approved a tongue-in-cheek opposition proposal stating that the dismissal of the LRT chief would also require the approval of MP Agnė Širinskienė’s cat – wording that must now be formally removed during the adoption stage.
Liberal Movement leader Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen described the delay as a “technical pause” rather than a genuine retreat by the ruling bloc.
“If not for the opposition’s resistance, the bill would have been passed yesterday morning,” she said, adding that the coalition should withdraw the draft entirely and restart talks with media representatives.
Laurynas Kasčiūnas, leader of the opposition Homeland Union–Lithuanian Christian Democrats, said the filibuster had worked but warned the opposition does not fully trust the ruling bloc to keep the bill off the agenda.
“Everything remains on the table,” Kasčiūnas said, adding that the opposition will continue submitting amendments, boycott sessions and seek a vote of no confidence in Olekas if necessary.
Remigijus Žemaitaitis, leader of the Nemunas Dawn party, which is part of the ruling coalition as is believed to be the main driving force behind the LRT law changes, said the bill cannot be abandoned under parliamentary procedure and suggested an extraordinary session may be held in mid-January.
“It cannot be stopped. The procedure must be completed,” he said.
LRT staff and the Association of Professional Journalists have warned that rushed legislative changes made without proper consultation pose a serious risk to the broadcaster’s independence and to freedom of speech in Lithuania.
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