Seimas ethics committee debates rulings on Žemaitaitis after mixed decisions spark backlash

A heated debate erupted in Lithuania’s parliamentary Ethics and Procedures Committee on Wednesday as opposition lawmakers criticised what they called inconsistent and overly lenient rulings on multiple complaints against Nemuno Aušra leader Remigijus Žemaitaitis, LRT reports.

The committee was set to conclude four separate investigations into Žemaitaitis’s statements and conduct. In one case, it ruled against the MP, while another was postponed pending input from law enforcement. The remaining two complaints—including an allegation that he violated ethics rules by accusing the Lithuanian Council for Culture of improperly awarding a €4,800 grant to author Vytautas V. Landsbergis—were dismissed as non-violations.

Social Democrat Lilija Vaitiekūnienė, who backed the favourable rulings, argued that Žemaitaitis’s remarks—though sharp—fell within the bounds of “harsher political rhetoric” and did not breach the code. The committee’s report noted his December 2025 Facebook post had attacked the grant decision with derogatory language, including calling critics “charlatans of free speech” and “bed-wetting defenders of free speech,” while questioning whether Landsbergis’s ties to the conservative Homeland Union influenced the award.

Liberal Arminas Lydeka countered that the repeated discussions of Žemaitaitis’s conduct had become “pointless,” labelling the MP a “recidivist” in ethics violations. Democrat Domas Griškevičius warned that Žemaitaitis was deliberately escalating his rhetoric to provoke reactions, knowing the committee’s reprimands would have no real consequence. “He does this consciously, fully aware it will trigger complaints,” Griškevičius said, urging the committee to “say stop” and declare a clear violation.

Conservative Jurgis Razma also pushed for a formal breach ruling, arguing that Žemaitaitis’s pattern of behaviour demanded accountability. The mixed outcomes left opposition members accusing the ruling coalition of shielding the firebrand politician.