Lithuanian Social Democrats seek Constitutional Court review of Šimonytė government program approval

The Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP) parliamentary group has initiated a petition to the Constitutional Court over the procedure used to approve Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė’s government program in 2020, LRT reports.

The move follows public doubts expressed by part of the opposition regarding the current government’s formation. The Social Democrats want the court to examine whether a December 2020 Seimas resolution endorsing Šimonytė’s program complied with constitutional procedures.

“The Constitution cannot be interpreted based on political convenience—one way when the government is formed by conservatives, and another when it is formed by their political opponents,” LSDP parliamentary group elder Orinta Leiputė said in a statement. “If there are constitutional doubts about the registration timing of the current government’s program, the Constitutional Court must also assess the analogous situation from 2020. We hope both cases will be evaluated consistently and by the same constitutional standard.”

The LSDP argues that the Seimas procedure for approving the government program began 1 hour and 49 minutes before the legal act confirming the government’s composition took effect. Although the program was presented to the Seimas the next day—after the presidential decree was already in force—the same pre-decree registered draft was later discussed and approved. No new draft was registered after the decree’s official announcement and entry into force.

The party has asked the court to clarify whether the Seimas can begin the procedure for approving a government program before the presidential decree on its composition takes effect. It also seeks an assessment of whether the Seimas resolution aligns with constitutional provisions governing the entry into force of legal acts, their adoption procedures, the granting of powers to the government, and the principles of the rule of law and accountable governance.

The LSDP plans to collect the necessary signatures from Seimas members in the near future. A petition to the Constitutional Court requires 29 signatures.

Conservative leader Laurynas Kasčiūnas criticized the initiative, calling it a “circus” and stating that the ruling coalition fails to understand the opposition’s motives. “If the Social Democrats want to question the government’s legitimacy, that is their right—we see the matter slightly differently. We want to clarify things to avoid problems in the future. It seems the Social Democrats have not understood us at all and are acting primitively,” he told ELTA. “If they want a circus, let them have a circus.”

Liberal Movement leader Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen described the LSDP’s move as a surprising defensive tactic. “If they are now concerned about the 2020 government formation, it is their will to collect signatures and seek clarification. In a way, the relevance has passed; this is more of a theoretical question. It seems like a defensive tactic to me. I don’t see a problem—we will have explanations and answers. It’s just a bit surprising that they chose such a defensive tactic. But if there is a desire to clarify, why not?” she said.