Parliament fails to remove Matjošaitytė from election commission

Lithuania’s parliament has failed to remove Laura Matjošaitytė from the Central Electoral Commission, LRT reported. Forty-five lawmakers supported her dismissal and 61 opposed it.

Matjošaitytė did not attend Tuesday’s session but agreed that lawmakers could consider her removal in her absence. She had also missed a planned discussion in late September, saying she was away.

In a statement to lawmakers, Matjošaitytė said questions raised publicly about her work concerned a period before she joined the commission. She said she had not provided services to political organisations since taking her oath.

Conservative lawmaker Giedrė Balčytytė, who proposed the no-confidence motion, said Matjošaitytė had advised the Nemuno aušra party on election campaign financing in September 2024, weeks before parliamentary elections. Balčytytė said Matjošaitytė had prepared a draft response to the commission about the party’s funding sources.

Balčytytė said Matjošaitytė had acknowledged the professional relationship but said she was not paid. The lawmaker argued that election financing rules also cover donations in kind, and said Matjošaitytė had asked the party to transfer the document to a new file so her authorship would not appear in its metadata.

Liberal lawmaker Eugenijus Gentvilas criticised Matjošaitytė for not attending the session. He said the circumstances created an appearance of unclear dealings and that she should explain why she provided free services to a participant in an election campaign.

Valius Ąžuolas of the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union defended Matjošaitytė, saying he saw double standards in the criticism. He also argued that her removal would benefit the opposition by allowing it to appoint a new commission member. However, Matjošaitytė was appointed by the justice minister, meaning the minister would also nominate a replacement.

Aidas Gedvilas of Nemuno aušra said the questions raised should be investigated, but parliament should not take the place of the institutions conducting the inquiry. Party leader Remigijus Žemaitaitis described the no-confidence procedure as political manoeuvring.