Matjošaitytė denies advising political groups since joining election commission

Laura Matjošaitytė says she has not advised political organisations since taking her oath as a member of Lithuania’s Central Electoral Commission, as parliament prepares to consider her dismissal, LRT reported.

In a written explanation to lawmakers, Matjošaitytė said the matters that had raised questions about her conduct concerned work she may have done as a lawyer before joining the commission in 2025. She said those matters were resolved before she became a member and that she had no contracts with political organisations.

She also said the political party Nemuno aušra had not paid her and that she had no obligations to any party or election committee. Matjošaitytė said she declares her private interests in line with the law and follows the guidance of Lithuania’s public service ethics commission. She added that she had no duty to recuse herself or declare a relationship with the party when the electoral commission considered related matters.

Parliament is due to consider the no-confidence motion on Tuesday without Matjošaitytė present. She informed parliamentary Speaker Juozas Olekas that she would not attend and asked lawmakers to discuss the matter in her absence.

The motion was initiated by the opposition Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats. Lawmakers from the party, the Liberals and the For Lithuania Democrats signed the request to add her dismissal to parliament’s agenda. The vote had initially been scheduled for September 24 but was postponed after Matjošaitytė did not attend.

Questions about her conduct arose after the news portal Delfi reported that she may have advised Nemuno aušra and helped prepare a response to the electoral commission. Delfi also reported that in September 2024 she sent the party’s deputy chair, Robertas Puchovičius, a draft response and asked him to copy it into a document of his own so her metadata would not remain. The commission said metadata showed that Matjošaitytė had prepared the party’s response on questions concerning membership fees.

Investigations into her conduct are being carried out by the electoral commission, the Lithuanian Bar Association and the public service ethics commission. The Special Investigation Service declined to open a pre-trial investigation. Matjošaitytė has said she was not paid for the consultations.

Matjošaitytė chaired the electoral commission from 2017 to 2021 and returned as a commission member in May 2025. Her candidacy was put forward by then-Justice Minister Rimantas Mockus.