Lithuanian MP calls for justice minister’s resignation over failure to register same-sex partnerships
Saturday 30th May 2026 on 11:45 in
Lithuania
Lithuania’s justice minister Rita Tamašunienė is unfit for office and should resign, opposition MP Tomas Vytautas Raskevičius said Friday, accusing her of deliberately obstructing court rulings on same-sex partnership registration, LRT reports.
The Laisvės (Freedom) Party lawmaker claimed Tamašunienė’s ministry has not only appealed court decisions ordering the registration of partnerships but has also “maliciously” refused to implement them. “Since late 2025, when Tamašunienė took over the ministry, she has not only appealed court rulings (…) but has also deliberately failed to execute them, refusing to register civil partnership status,” Raskevičius told ELTA Kampas.
He questioned her competence outright: “I seriously doubt Rita Tamašunienė’s ability to serve as justice minister. I believe she is neither suitable nor qualified for this position.”
Fourteen same-sex couples have now filed enforcement requests with bailiffs after the ministry ignored court orders, Raskevičius said, calling the situation “grotesque.” “Imagine: in a rule-of-law state, Lithuanian citizens are asking bailiffs to force the Justice Ministry to comply with court judgments,” he added.
A district court this week imposed the first daily fines—€10 per person—until the ministry complies. Raskevičius warned penalties could escalate to the legal maximum of €300 per day. “The court considered this the first case of non-compliance, but as appeals grow and the ministry’s inaction persists, fines will rise,” he predicted.
Tamašunienė has defended the delays, citing unclear legal frameworks and institutional divisions. But Raskevičius dismissed this as ideological obstruction, noting her predecessor had confirmed partnerships could be registered via the existing marriage contract system. “The political will vanished when leadership changed,” he said, accusing Tamašunienė of “homophobic views” she has expressed publicly.
The ministry has announced plans to appeal the fines.