Lithuania’s parliament has granted a working group reviewing the governance of public broadcaster LRT extra time to complete its task.
Speaker Juozas Olekas proposed that the group submit its draft amendments by February 24, instead of the original February 14 deadline, citing the need to carefully consider the numerous proposals received.
The group has already indicated plans to establish a new governing board for LRT, expand the broadcaster’s council from 12 to 15 members, and create an office to support it.
Term limits for the director general are also being considered, while retaining the current two-thirds majority required to remove the broadcaster’s head in a vote of no confidence.
In December, the ruling coalition attempted to amend the law to reduce the number of votes needed for dismissal.
Their proposal would have allowed the LRT director general to be removed if the annual report was rejected or if the director was accused of failing to fulfil their duties, provided more than half of council members – 7 of 12 – supported the motion in a secret ballot.
The attempt to fast-track the changes, widely seen as easing the removal of the current LRT chief, drew criticism from journalists and the public, prompting the parliament to establish the working group.
Under current legislation, the director general can only be dismissed by an open vote of at least 8 of 12 council members and solely on grounds of public interest.
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