Lithuanian administrative court delays Nausėda and election commission case until autumn

The Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania (LVAT) has received an appeal from the Central Electoral Commission (VRK) in its dispute with President Gitanas Nausėda over alleged hidden political advertising, but a hearing date will not be set until autumn due to a backlog of cases, LRT reports.

A court spokesperson confirmed the VRK’s appeal against a lower court ruling had been filed and placed in the queue for review. “Given the current caseload, a hearing in this matter is likely to be scheduled only after summer,” Paulius Žeimys told the Baltic News Service (BNS).

Most cases at the court face delays of nearly a year before a hearing date is assigned, though exceptions exist for urgent matters such as migration disputes. “This case falls under standard procedures,” Žeimys noted.

The dispute stems from a September 2025 ruling by the Šiauliai Regional Administrative Court, which overturned the VRK’s decision to classify a 2024 memorial event in Palanga as covert campaign advertising for Nausėda. The court found no evidence of election-related promotion during the event, where Nausėda had explicitly agreed not to discuss his candidacy. The VRK had previously ruled the event—costing over €18,000—constituted part of Nausėda’s re-election campaign, arguing it cultivated a “positive, warm, and human” candidate image.