Lithuania’s Liberal Movement adopts resolution criticising government over democratic backsliding

The Liberal Movement of Lithuania has adopted a resolution accusing the ruling coalition of undermining liberal democracy through a series of decisions that violate core democratic principles, LRT reports.

The resolution, titled On the State and Cultivation of Liberal Democracy, was unanimously approved during the party’s council meeting in Molėtai on April 25. It states that recent government actions have raised “serious doubts” about its commitment to fundamental democratic values, including the rule of law, human rights, and accountability to citizens.

Party leader Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen said the document reflects a “unified assessment” among liberals that the current administration—led by the Social Democratic Party in coalition with the nationalist group Nemuno aušra—has prioritised “narrow political interests” over public trust and democratic norms. “We see a whole series of decisions by the ruling coalition that are eroding liberal democracy,” she told LRT.

The resolution specifically condemns proposed amendments to the law governing Lithuania’s public broadcaster LRT, which liberals argue threaten editorial independence and violate both the Seimas statute and the European Media Freedom Act. “The parliamentary majority, ignoring protests for free speech, is applying legal changes to target an individual and restrict editorial freedom—this is a cynical attack on the principles of liberal democracy,” the text states.

Other criticisms include:

• Health Minister Marija Jakubauskienė’s decrees on healthcare reimbursement procedures, which Lithuania’s Supreme Administrative Court ruled were adopted in violation of legal procedures;
• Education Minister Raminta Popovienė’s order to add 10 points to high school graduates’ final exam scores, which the same court deemed unlawful;
• The government’s failure to hold ministers politically accountable after judicial rulings against their decisions.

Čmilytė-Nielsen emphasised that the resolution not only diagnoses problems but commits the party to “active resistance” in defence of democratic institutions. “This unity strengthens our voice in national politics, in the Seimas, and in local government,” she said.

The Liberal Movement currently holds 13 seats in Lithuania’s 141-member parliament.