Seimas to consider proposal for uninterrupted parliament work in critical situations

The Lithuanian parliament, Seimas, is considering amendments to its Statute to ensure operational, secure, and uninterrupted work during mobilization or wartime, LRT reports.

Parliament Speaker Juozas Olekas submitted the proposal on Tuesday, suggesting the removal of standard session requirements that are not justified during such critical periods. If approved, the Statute would no longer impose formal administrative restrictions, such as session duration limits, mandatory breaks between extraordinary sessions, or the requirement to discuss only the initiators’ issues in extraordinary sessions.

Under the proposed changes, if mobilization or a state of war is declared during a Seimas session, plenary meetings would be held at least once a month. The amendments aim to create a more flexible session organization and reduce potential security threats arising from frequent gatherings of MPs in extreme conditions, Olekas said.

Vitalijus Šeršniovas, deputy elder of the Mixed Parliamentary Group, suggested considering remote work options for the Seimas in such cases. “If we assume that difficult times may lie ahead, why not assume that during wartime, someone might attack this building to disrupt our work and destabilize the state? Maybe we should consider remote decision-making, as we do in committees,” Šeršniovas proposed.

Olekas responded that all possibilities must be considered. “We need to think about everything. We are not assuming that we are under threat right now, but we need to be prepared. When you are unprepared, work really stalls if something happens. Therefore, my proposal is to have a very clear sequence of actions, a line, and decision-making opportunities,” the Speaker said.

The proposed amendments also establish procedures for extending extraordinary sessions if needed, after the Seimas confirms or revokes the president’s decision on mobilization or martial law. During these critical periods, extraordinary sessions could continue until the start of the next regular session. MPs would be notified of extraordinary session meetings no later than four hours before they begin.

The draft amendments, supported by 99 MPs with no objections and three abstentions, will now go to the Legal Affairs Committee for review and are expected to return to the plenary session in the autumn.

Currently, the Statute stipulates that during mobilization or wartime, sessions are organized by the Seimas Board’s decision, at least once a week. The schedule for these sessions is not prepared or approved in advance. Extraordinary sessions are convened by the Speaker upon a written request from at least one-third of MPs or, in cases specified in Articles 142 and 144 of the Constitution, by the president. These articles govern the introduction of emergency or martial law, mobilization, and the use of armed forces.