Parliament keeps Matjošaitytė on electoral commission

Lithuania’s parliament voted to keep Laura Matjošaitytė on the Central Electoral Commission, with 61 lawmakers opposing her dismissal and 45 supporting it, LRT reported Tuesday.

The commission had been due to discuss Matjošaitytė’s future in late September, but she did not attend, saying she was away. She also chose not to attend Tuesday’s parliamentary session, but agreed that lawmakers could consider her dismissal in her absence.

In a written explanation to lawmakers, Matjošaitytė said questions raised publicly about her work concerned a period before she joined the commission. She said she had not provided services to political organisations since taking her oath.

Conservative lawmaker Giedrė Balčytytė, who submitted the motion of no confidence, said Matjošaitytė had advised the Nemuno Aušra party on election campaign financing in September 2024, weeks before parliamentary elections. Balčytytė said Matjošaitytė also drafted a response to the commission about the sources of the party’s funding.

Balčytytė said Matjošaitytė had acknowledged the professional relationship but said she was not paid. The issue, Balčytytė argued, was not limited to whether money had changed hands, as election financing rules also recognise non-monetary contributions.

Balčytytė also said Matjošaitytė had asked the party to copy the document into a new file so that her metadata would be removed and her authorship would not be visible. She questioned why the relationship had not been disclosed when Matjošaitytė’s appointment was considered or when the commission discussed matters involving Nemuno Aušra.

Liberal lawmaker Eugenijus Gentvilas called Matjošaitytė’s absence from the session disrespectful. He said her explanation left the impression of unclear or non-transparent dealings and argued that she should explain why she provided free services to a participant in an election campaign.

Valius Ąžuolas of the Lithuanian Peasants and Greens Union defended Matjošaitytė and accused her critics of applying double standards. He said politicians had consulted commission members and former members without treating it as wrongdoing, and noted that party representatives currently serve on the commission.

Ąžuolas also argued that dismissing Matjošaitytė would benefit the opposition by allowing it to nominate a replacement. The article noted that she was appointed by the justice minister, meaning Justice Minister Rita Tamašunienė would nominate a successor. Tamašunienė belongs to the Lithuanian Peasants, Greens and Christian Families Union parliamentary group.

Nemuno Aušra lawmaker Aidas Gedvilas said the vote showed what standard parliament applied to a person subject to an ongoing institutional investigation. He said the questions raised about Matjošaitytė should be investigated.