Introduction
Nausėda re-elected as President in landslide win
On 26th May 2024, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda secured a second five-year term in a decisive election victory. Lithuanian national television reported that it was the highest turnout in the country since 1997, with nearly 60% of eligible voters participating. Preliminary results from the Lithuanian Central Election Commission indicated that Nausėda received 74.6% of the votes, while his opponent, Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė won 24.1%.
The 60-year-old Nausėda, a moderate conservative and strong supporter of Ukraine, enjoys widespread backing across the political spectrum. During his presidency, Lithuania has provided asylum to many people fleeing repression in Belarus and Russia.
Earlier, on 26th March 2024, a parliamentary commission accused Nausėda of using the State Security Department's assistance during his July 2019 presidential campaign. The impeachment procedure was postponed, as only three months remained until the end of his presidential term. On 4th June 2024, the Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas, endorsed the conclusions of the commission.
Draft Russian Resolution Aiming to Reconsider Maritime Border Leads to Confusion
On 22nd May 2024, the Russian government issued a draft resolution seeking to unilaterally alter its maritime borders with Lithuania and Finland in the Baltic Sea. Russia justified this move by stating that the maritime charts used during Soviet times have become outdated and no longer correspond to modern coordinates. The Russian Ministry of Defence later removed this document from the web without explanation, which led to further confusion. The Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated it views Russia’s actions as a deliberate, targeted, escalatory provocation to intimidate neighbouring countries and their societies. Meanwhile, the Russian state news agency Interfax cited a military-diplomatic source,who rebutted this claim, asserting that Russia has no intentions of altering its territorial waters, economic zones, or national boundaries in the Baltic Sea.
Human Rights Organisations Appeal Against Appointment of New Defence Minister
On 25th March 2024, President Gitanas Nausėda appointed Laurynas Kasčiūnas as the new Minister of Defence. Before his appointment, human rights organisations, including the Open Society Fund Lithuania, the Lithuanian Human Rights Center, the Border Group (Sienos Grupė), and the Human Rights Monitoring Institute, jointly signed an appeal to the president, urging him not to appoint Laurynas Kasčiūnas, the head of the Seimas Committee on National Security and Defense (CNSD), as Minister of Defense. According to the statement, Kasčiūnas is hostile towards migrants and members of the LGBTQI+ community and holds extreme nationalist and anti-Semitic views. Kasčiūnas responded by rejecting the criticism as coming from “left-wing organisations” and stating that he will be responsible for national defence, not human rights.
Peaceful assembly
Firefighters in Vilnius Protest Against Funding and Staffing Shortages
On 11th April 2024, more than a dozen firefighters protested in front of the Ministry of the Interior building in Vilnius due to funding issues and staffing shortages. The firefighters held signs stating, “A shortage of 1,000 firefighters has become the norm over 11 years” and “How much more will you save at the expense of people's safety?” Mannequins dressed as firefighters, symbolising the lack of personnel, became a central image of the protest.
Deputy Minister of the Interior Vitalijus Dmitrijevas spoke with the protesting firefighters and promised to increase the fire and rescue service budget by 30%. No altercations were reported.
Trade Unions March in Vilnius for Workers’ Rights
On 1st May 2024, trade unions organised a march in Vilnius to highlight issues related to workers' rights. Around 1,000 people marched through the city, demanding legal changes that would make it easier for workers to strike. The participants chanted slogans such as “There are no strikes that won't lead to good” and “Unbind our hands to protect your rights.”
Regina Dvarzeckite, the Chairperson of the Lithuanian Communications Workers' Union, stated that there are significant obstacles to organising strikes due to the lengthy and complicated approval process imposed by the government. Under current legislation, employees must complete at least three negotiation stages before they are granted the right to strike—a process that, according to the Lithuanian Industry Trade Union Federation (LPPSF), can take two years.
The Minister of Social Security and Labour, Monika Navickienė, later stated that unions need to submit concrete proposals in order to see any legislative changes, and that no such proposals have been received so far. She added that all proposals should be discussed and agreed in the tripartite council, which is made up of representatives of the trade unions, employers and the government.
Pensioners Protest Against Low Pensions
On 22nd May 2024, around 400 pensioners gathered outside the Seimas building to express their dissatisfaction with low pensions and second-tier pension funds. Lithuania pays the lowest pension in the European Union, averaging 345 euros per person. Protestors demanded the redistribution of 3 billion EUR from the SoDra pension reserve to support those receiving the lowest pensions.
Following the demonstration, the group marched down Gediminas Avenue to the government building, where they met with Minister of Social Security and Labor Monika Navickienė. The Ministry of Social Security and Labor announced that the average pension amount would increase by almost 11% in 2024, or 58 euros, reaching 596 EUR.
Polish Minority Marches Against Educational Reform
On 23rd March 2024, ethnic minorities in Vilnius held a march to protest against the government's attempts to reform minority education.
Earlier, in January 2024, discussions were held about potentially closing Russian schools to aid children's adaptation to Lithuanian culture. On 31st January 2024, the Minister of Education announced that the plan to close these schools had been withdrawn, promising that “conditions for either teachers or students in these schools will not be worsened in any way.”
In response to concerns about Polish schools, the Association of Poles in Lithuania issued a resolution condemning what they view as a radical reform of minority education. The resolution's demands included abandoning changes to the school system for national minorities, maintaining the traditional model of education in Polish (except for the Lithuanian state language), preparing relevant curricula and textbooks, training teachers, and dividing classes into three parallel groups for Lithuanian language instruction instead of the current two.
Increased Police Presence on the Streets on Russia’s Victory Day
On 9th May 2024, Victory Day, Lithuanian authorities warned residents of possible provocations aimed at intimidating the public and disrupting state institutions. Victory Day is celebrated in Russia and many countries in Central Asia, the Caucasus and the Balkans to commemorate the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in 1945.
No marches were planned in Vilnius to mark the occasion, but police presence on the streets was increased. Several dozen people came to the Antakalnis cemetery in Vilnius between morning and noon, and about 150 people gathered at a former Soviet memorial in Klaipėda, a city on the Baltic coast. No incidents were reported.
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Lithuania has banned the use of the Soviet Victory symbol—the black-and-orange St. George’s Ribbon. Additionally, in 2022, the Soviet World War II memorial at Antakalnis Cemetery was dismantled, along with statues of Soviet soldiers. Some who attended Victory Day gatherings expressed disagreement with these actions. One person attending the Victory Day commemoration at Antakalnis Cemetery carried a poster reading: “Here stood a monument to anti-fascists; it was demolished by defenders of fascists!”
Pride March to be Held in June, but Progress on LGBTQI+ Rights is Limited
The Vilnius Pride March, themed “For Equality,” is set to take place on 8th June 2024, with an expected turnout of up to 20,000 participants. The march, organised by LGL, Lithuania’s LGBTQI+ rights organisation, has used the slogan “We march for LGBT equality” since 2010. In related news, LGL has applied to host EuroPride, Europe’s leading LGBTQI+ festival, in Vilnius in 2027.
Lithuania's overall progress on LGBTQI+ rights, however, remains limited. Despite a slight improvement in the country’s ranking in ILGA-Europe’s “Rainbow Map” published on 15th May 2024, the country remains one of the lowest-performing in Europe in terms of LGBTQI+ rights. On 29th March 2024, four same-sex couples from Lithuania filed an appeal with the European Court of Human Rights, seeking the legalisation of same-sex partnerships and marriages, underlining the challenges faced by the LGBTQI+ community.
On 29th May 2024, the government referred the issue of legal provisions for same-sex partnerships to the Constitutional Court, indicating ongoing legal challenges. Foreign ambassadors based in Lithuania have expressed their support for the LGBTQI+ community, advocating for the passage of a civil union bill in parliament to advance LGBTQI+ rights.
Freedom of expression
MP Žemaitaitis Resigns to Avoid Impeachment
As previously reported by the CIVICUS Monitor, on 14th February 2024, the Lithuanian parliament voted to strip MP Remigijus Žemaitaiti of his parliamentary immunity due to hate speech and anti-Semitic statements he had published on Facebook in the early summer of 2023.
On 25th April 2024, the Constitutional Court ruled that Žemaitaitis—who had registered a new party and launched a presidential campaign after being suspended from his original party—violated his oath and the Constitution with his statements. Facing likely impeachment, which would have barred him from running for any office requiring an oath for ten years, Žemaitaitis resigned as MP on 29th April 2024.
Because Žemaitaitis' resignation allowed him to evade punishment, some members of the ruling bloc proposed changing the impeachment procedure to make it mandatory, ensuring that future violators cannot escape responsibility.
Lithuanians Do Not Miss Russian TV Programs: Survey Reveals
On 25th February 2022, in response to Russia’s war on Ukraine, the Lithuanian Radio and Television Commission (LRTK) banned the rebroadcasting of six Russian-language TV channels within the country due to their promotion of war and propaganda. The decision, announced by Ričardas Slapšys, vice-chairman of the LRTK, targeted channels including Belarus 24, NTV Mir, RTR Planeta, Rossiya 24, PBK, and TVCI.
A survey conducted by the Radio and Television Commission of Lithuania in May 2024, revealed that the majority of Lithuanians do not miss Russian TV programmes, with four out of five respondents stating they do not feel the absence of Russian channels. This is particularly true for young people, with over 90% of respondents under the age of 29 holding this opinion. However, the survey also found that 14% of respondents—primarily older individuals and those of Polish or Russian nationality—admitted to recently watching Russian TV channels despite the ban.
New Press Freedom Reports
According to the annual media freedom report published by the Civil Liberties Union for Europe (Liberties) in May 2024, media freedom across the European Union is facing significant challenges. The report highlights widespread threats against journalists and assaults on the independence of public broadcasters in several member states. It underscores a correlation between diminishing press freedom and weakened rule of law, portraying a scenario reminiscent of authoritarian regimes.
The report notes that while new EU legislation aimed at safeguarding media freedom shows promise, effective implementation will be crucial to mitigating these risks.
The 2024 World Press Freedom Index, published on 3rd May 2024 by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), shows that Lithuania has experienced a decline in press freedom, dropping six places to 13th. The shift is attributed to political influence over the public broadcaster LRT and difficulties journalists face in obtaining data from state institutions.
While national broadcaster LRT and major commercial media groups like TV3 and LNK dominate Lithuanian media, some online outlets focus on investigative journalism, attracting a younger audience. However, tensions persist between the government and the media, exacerbated by various crises, although RSF notes that political attacks on journalists remain rare.