Lithuanian parliament approves amendments to national broadcaster LRT’s governance law

The Lithuanian parliament on Tuesday approved amendments to the law governing the national broadcaster LRT, following months of debate and public protests, reports LRT.lt.

The changes, backed by the ruling coalition and five members of the Mixed Parliamentary Group, were adopted without opposition participation. The opposition had previously registered hundreds of proposed amendments and boycotted the final vote.

Key changes under the new law:

Mission and principles
The law now formally defines LRT’s mission as safeguarding the public interest by ensuring constitutional rights to information, promoting democratic values, and countering disinformation. Its activities must align with principles of pluralistic democracy, objectivity, impartiality, and respect for human rights.

Editorial independence
Editorial decisions will be made and justified based on guidelines set jointly by the heads of LRT’s radio, television, and online news services. Earlier proposals to restrict participation from other media representatives in content creation were rejected.

Leadership appointments
The general director will continue to be selected through an open competition for a five-year term, with the board organising the process and the council making the final decision. A proposal by the Special Investigation Service to require open voting for appointments was dismissed; the LRT council will determine voting procedures.

Termination and term limits
The general director may be dismissed before the end of their term by a two-thirds majority of the council if they fail to meet reputation standards, violate legal requirements, or commit gross misconduct. The law also introduces a two-term limit for the position, counting the current director’s term (which began in October 2023) as the first. Opposition critics argued this should apply only to future directors, citing legal precedent against retroactive restrictions.

Implementation timeline
The amendments will take effect as originally proposed by the working group, without delay.

The changes follow months of controversy after the ruling coalition initially sought to fast-track the law in December, sparking large-scale protests. A working group led by Speaker of the Seimas Juozas Olekas later revised the draft, though critics—including the Association of Professional Journalists—maintained the final version remained flawed.