Masiulis set to take Bilotaitė’s seat in parliament

Lithuania’s Central Electoral Commission will decide on Thursday whether to end Agnė Bilotaitė’s parliamentary mandate, with fellow conservative Kęstutis Masiulis expected to replace her, LRT reported.

Bilotaitė was elected from the Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats’ candidate list in a multi-member constituency, so no by-election will be held, commission spokeswoman Indrė Ramanavičienė said. The commission said Bilotaitė had asked to end her work in parliament from October 14.

Bilotaitė, a member of the Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats parliamentary group, announced on Wednesday that she would give up her seat for personal reasons. She is leaving active politics but will remain a party member. Masiulis, who is next in line on the party’s election list, told ELTA he was ready to return to parliament.

During the current parliamentary term, Bilotaitė served on the Committee on Legal Affairs and Law Enforcement and the parliamentary commission overseeing criminal intelligence. She also chaired a temporary group of women MPs and a working group on improving legal rules to prevent and address sexual harassment and violence.

From 2020 to 2024, Bilotaitė was interior minister in the government led by Ingrida Šimonytė. First elected to parliament in 2008, she has worked on anti-corruption initiatives and was the initiator and drafter of the Whistleblower Protection Law.