Seimo ruling coalition plans to assign opposition-led posts to Mixed Group

The ruling Social Democrats in Lithuania’s Seimas propose transferring two leadership positions traditionally held by the opposition to the Mixed Group of MPs, which often supports government decisions. Seimas Speaker Juozas Olekas presented the plan during a senior members’ meeting on Tuesday.

Under the proposal, the chairmanships of the Seimas Audit Committee and the Ethics and Procedure Commission would go to representatives of the Mixed Group. Currently, the Ethics Commission is led by Viktoras Fiodorovas, a member of the Mixed Group, while the Audit Committee is chaired by Artūras Skardžius of the “Aušra” faction.

Laurynas Kasčiūnas, senior member of the opposition Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats faction, told BNS that the move appears to be a technical attempt to secure votes. “Politically, they are trying to pull the Mixed Group closer with their votes. The calculation is probably technical,” he said. Kasčiūnas added that the decision also aims to isolate opposition forces.

Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, leader of the opposition Liberal Movement, argued that the Social Democrats are breaking parliamentary tradition, as these chair positions have historically belonged to the opposition, not the Mixed Group, which consists of non-aligned MPs and is considered part of the minority but not the opposition.

“The long-standing practice and tradition in the Seimas has been that leadership positions in both the Ethics Commission and the Audit Committee belong to the opposition,” she said. Čmilytė-Nielsen also suggested that the ruling coalition seeks to secure more support in the Seimas by accommodating the Mixed Group.

Kasčiūnas stressed the importance of evaluating the individuals proposed for these roles, warning that some might exploit the position for political gain. He cited Artūras Zuokas, a candidate for the Audit Committee chairmanship who is also running in the Vilnius mayoral election, as an example of someone whose experience may not align with the role’s demands.

Olekas defended the proposal, stating that under current faction quotas, both positions belong to the Mixed Group. He noted that in the previous term, Zigmantas Balčytis, then a Mixed Group member, also chaired the Audit Committee before later joining the opposition Regions faction.

“The statute allows this possibility, and we are using it because we have people who can do the job,” Olekas said. He recalled criticism from Kasčiūnas and others when Artūras Skardžius, then in the opposition, retained his leadership role, prompting calls for change.

The review of committee and commission leadership roles follows changes in the ruling coalition, which recently excluded “Nemuno aušra” while adding the Democratic Union “For Lithuania.” According to Seimas rules, the Audit Committee chair or deputy must come from an opposition faction or a coalition of factions holding over half of the minority seats. The Ethics and Procedure Commission chair must be a minority MP, with the deputy from the majority.

The Mixed Group currently has eight members, while the opposition Conservative faction has 28, the Liberal Movement 11, and “Nemuno aušra” 18.