Constitutional Court to examine Gelbūda’s dismissal as Seimas chancellor

Lithuania’s Constitutional Court will begin reviewing the dismissal of former Seimas chancellor Modestas Gelbūda on Tuesday, in a case brought by the country’s Supreme Administrative Court, LRT reported.

The case will be heard in written proceedings. The Supreme Administrative Court, which is considering whether Gelbūda’s dismissal was lawful, has asked the Constitutional Court to assess whether a Seimas resolution adopted on March 21, 2024, breached the constitutional principles of the rule of law and responsible governance.

The court’s referral says new grounds for no confidence in Gelbūda were raised during the parliamentary sitting, although they had not appeared in the original statement. Gelbūda was notified on March 19 that the issue would be considered two days later, leaving him too little time to prepare and provide explanations, the referral says.

The Supreme Administrative Court says the procedure for expressing no confidence should ensure that the official concerned has a genuine opportunity to explain their position to parliament and respond to the arguments against them. It also says a reasonable preparation period is important to allow the official to seek legal representation and advice.

Gelbūda was appointed Seimas chancellor for a five-year term by a resolution of the Lithuanian parliament on April 27, 2021. On March 20, 2024, then-Seimas Speaker Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen proposed his dismissal after receiving a statement signed by 74 members of parliament.

Lawmakers criticised Gelbūda over the upkeep of the approaches to the Seimas, Independence Square and its fountain, the implementation of civil service reform, and delays in ensuring the uninterrupted operation of the Seimas cafeteria and medical centre, among other issues. In a secret ballot, 95 members of parliament voted to dismiss him and 13 voted against.