Social Democrats gather signatures for Constitutional Court appeal over Šimonytė government program

Lithuania’s Social Democratic Party (LSDP) faction in the Seimas has begun collecting signatures for an appeal to the Constitutional Court regarding the approval procedure of Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė’s government program in 2020, LRT reports.

The move follows public doubts raised by part of the opposition about the current government’s formation. On Monday evening, Orinta Leiputė, the elder of the LSDP faction in the Seimas, confirmed to ELTA that the party had gathered the required number of signatures.

The Social Democrats have asked the Constitutional Court to examine whether the Seimas resolution of mid-December 2020, which approved Šimonytė’s government program, complied with constitutional procedures. Leiputė stated that the Constitution must be interpreted consistently, regardless of political convenience.

“The Constitution cannot be interpreted one way when the government is formed by conservatives and another when it is formed by their political opponents. If there are constitutional doubts about the registration timing of the current government’s program, the Constitutional Court must also assess the analogous situation from 2020. We hope both cases will be evaluated consistently and by the same constitutional standard,” Leiputė said.

According to the LSDP, the Seimas procedure for approving the government program began 1 hour and 49 minutes before the legal act confirming the government’s composition took effect. Although the program was presented to the Seimas the next day, after the presidential decree was already in force, the same pre-decree registered draft continued to be discussed and adopted.

The party has requested clarification on whether the Seimas can initiate the approval procedure for a government program before the presidential decree on its composition takes effect. It also asks the Court to assess the resolution’s compliance with constitutional provisions governing the enactment of legal acts, their adoption procedures, the granting of powers to the government, and the principles of the rule of law and accountable governance.

The LSDP plans to collect the necessary signatures from Seimas members in the near future. A total of 29 signatures are required for an appeal to the Constitutional Court.

Earlier on Monday, opposition factions—Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats (TS-LKD) and the Liberal Movement—also began gathering signatures for a separate appeal to the Constitutional Court. They seek a ruling that the Seimas resolution on the current government’s program violates several constitutional articles and the principles of the rule of law and accountable governance. They also question the constitutionality of Article 194 of the Seimas Statute due to a lack of legal regulation.

Public discussions on the issue arose after Vilnius University law professor Egidijus Kūris noted that then-Prime Minister designate Mantas Sinkevičius had submitted the government program draft before the cabinet’s confirmation. The program draft was registered in the Seimas on July 3, while President Gitanas Nausėda signed the decree confirming the government’s composition on July 6. Sinkevičius himself stated that the government program was presented at the Seimas session after the presidential decree was signed.

LSDP leader Vilija Toomast has accused the opposition of manipulating concepts. The current ruling coalition consists of the LSDP, the Democratic Union “For Lithuania,” and the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union factions.