Lithuanian parliament appoints new election commission member amid corruption case

The Lithuanian parliament on Thursday appointed lawyer Inga Barišauskė as a new member of the Central Electoral Commission (VRK), replacing Agnė Silickienė, who resigned amid corruption allegations, LRT reports.

Barišauskė, a member of the opposition Democratic Union “For Lithuania,” currently serves as an assistant to MP Saulius Skvernelis. From 2009 to 2020, she worked at Vilnius District Court as a judge’s assistant, court session secretary, and legal specialist. She also served as a polling station commission member during the last parliamentary elections.

The VRK consists of a chairperson—nominated by the speaker of parliament—along with two members each proposed by the president, the justice minister, and the Lithuanian Bar Association. Political parties that secured multi-member constituency seats in the last parliamentary elections also appoint members. While the parliament formally approves and dismisses VRK members, it does not vote on party-nominated candidates.

Silickienė, implicated in a systemic corruption case at the State Plant Service, stepped down from the VRK in mid-December.