Lithuanian parliament speaker disappointed by lack of coalition unity in military training ground vote

Lithuanian parliament speaker Juozas Olekas has expressed disappointment over the lack of unified support from coalition partners during a key vote on the Kapčiamiesčio military training ground project, public broadcaster LRT reports.

During Tuesday’s vote, some members of the coalition factions—including the “Nemuno Aušra” (Dawn at Nemunas) group and the Farmers and Greens Union—either opposed or abstained from supporting the project. While 102 lawmakers voted in favor, Olekas had hoped for broader consensus.

“We all wanted this vote to be more unified. We can say that 102 votes in favor is one of the highest figures in recent parliamentary decisions,” Olekas told Žinių Radijas on Wednesday. “What concerns us most is the agreement among our partners—on such important issues, we need support.”

He emphasized that disagreements within the coalition must be addressed, as upcoming decisions will require a strong majority to fulfill commitments to the public, particularly on critical matters like national security.

“We need to discuss these issues because other important questions are coming, and we must have a majority to deliver on our promises to the people of Lithuania—especially on vital issues like maintaining peace,” Olekas said.