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71 Seimas members voted in favor of the bill, 24 voted against and 24 MPs abstained. The project was started by the three ruling factions. It will be discussed further in Seimas committees, then voted on in the consideration and adoption stages, albeit only in the fall.
This project provoked stormy discussions in the Chamber of the Seimas. The opposition was outraged that the issue had been raised on the last day of the spring session and there had been accusations of trying to rewrite the history of Lithuania.
Conservative representative Andrius Vyšniauskas asked for a half-hour break during the discussion of the project and it was approved. Opposition officials were outraged that a vote on the pause had generally been announced, as all voting in the Seimas is scheduled at the same time.
Vytautas Gapšys, a member of the Labor Party faction, demanded the resignation of conservative Paulius Saudargas, who was chairing the Seimas session, following the announced vote on the break. “Baikit, what are you doing? Leave if you cannot hold the meeting. This is not done. They show disrespect for this law, “said V. Gapšys.
V.Čmilytė-Nielsen: It’s all about the Seimas’ self-esteem
The speaker of parliament, Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, who presented the draft on the recognition of V. Landsbergis as leader of Lithuania before the Seimas, said that it was a matter of self-esteem of the Seimas.
“The draft law on the legal status of the President of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Lithuania has been drawn up after evaluating the political, historical and legal circumstances that determined the exclusive constitutional, political and legal status of the President of the Supreme Council. Restorative Seimas as the highest official of the Republic.
The purpose of the bill is to declare that the Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Lithuania, who functioned in 1990-1992, as the highest official of the Republic of Lithuania, was restored to the head of an independent state of Lithuania under the temporary basic law in force at that time, ”he said.
According to V.Čmilytė-Nielsen, this bill is a sign of respect and recognition for a man who has played a unique role in the history of Lithuania: “I am convinced that the time has come to appreciate the contribution of Professor V. Landsbergis and I believe that this Seimas is the strength and wisdom of the Seimas to do it. “
He was accused of trying to rewrite history.
The member of the Seimas Artūras Skardžius stated that the aim of this bill is to rewrite the history of Lithuania, since the office of president of the Supreme Council cannot correspond to the powers of the president. In this case, he proposed that Artūras Paulauskas, who had been acting president, be appointed head of the country.
“Perhaps your coalition partner, Mr. V. Landsbergis, asked you to do it?” The Seimas Spokesmen rhetorically asked the politician.
V.Čmilytė-Nielsen explained that this project does not attempt to equate V.Landsbergis with the president, but rather speaks of him as the head of the country. Lawyers for the Seimas have concluded that the proposal to grant the status of head of state to the president of the Supreme Council may be in conflict with the Constitution. The lawyers are based on previous rulings of the Constitutional Court.
“In Estonia, the president of the Supreme Council has been recognized as head of state much earlier and this has not been a problem,” said the president of Seimas.
Outraged in haste
Social Democrat Algirdas Sysas complained that the draft was presented too hastily, on the last day of the spring session.
“I believe that loving, respecting, remembering, giving – everything is in order, so let’s record, because we are not going to rewrite history (…) Here as a chronic disease, and the symptom is to present such a law in the last business day, “said the Seimas member.
Even before the presentation of the project, the president of the Seimas stated that this issue had matured a long time ago and that it was a matter of honor for the parliament to “settle this debt” with the professor, and Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė urged the representatives from opposition to no to dispute the facts.
The draft Law on the Legal Status of the President of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Lithuania proposes to establish that “the President of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Lithuania since 1990. March 11, the head of the independent state of Lithuania was restored”.
The Seimas has already tried to grant the status of head of state to V. Landsbergis during the last term, but at the initiative of the then president of the Seimas, Viktoras Pranckietis, he did not receive the political support of the former rulers.
