According to ELTA, on 23 December, after the Seimas approved the Social Democratic Party’s proposal to vote on Nida Grunskienė candidacy for prosecutor general by secret ballot, there was considerable outrage in parliament, lrytas.lt reported.
Seimas member Orinta Leiputė claims that the Social Democrats did not propose a secret ballot because of her contribution to the investigation of the “cheque” cases. According to the politician, the Social Democrats have no complaints about the Prosecutor General in this regard.
“No, we have no complaints (ELTA). The questions asked of the candidate were of a slightly different nature, both in assessing certain issues in the public sphere and in evaluating the prosecutor’s office itself. The candidate answered them to the members of the Seimas,” Grunskienė told journalists at the Seimas on Tuesday.
The politician assured that there had been no extensive discussions among the Social Democrats regarding the prosecutor general’s investigations into cases involving funds allocated to municipal council members.
“There was certainly no broad discussion, opinions vary greatly, and members of the Seimas will vote as they see fit,” she assured.
Leiputė emphasises that parliamentarians have the right to request that the Seimas decide on specific candidates by secret ballot.
“Members of Parliament and factions have the right to propose the method of voting, and there are various reasons for this. Apparently, we all have our own thoughts on the matter. Others find it strange that we should vote in secret for the chair of the National Health Council when the council itself has already elected the chair, and we are confirming this. There are different opinions, but the Seimas will decide,” she emphasised.
Girskienė: Our faction will vote freely
Ligita Girskienė, chair of the Lithuanian Peasants, Greens and Christian Families Union faction in the Seimas, stressed that the parliamentarians belonging to her faction will vote freely on Grunskienė candidacy. According to her, the prosecutor general, who is seeking a second term, deserves both praise and criticism.
“We met with the candidate, talked with her, and opinions were divided. We have both complaints and praise. So, we will vote freely. Some members of our faction in the Seimas will not support the candidate. Personally, I plan to support her,” said Girskienė.
According to her, the primary concern was information in the public domain about complaints from prosecutors addressed to Grunskienė.
“The main reasons were the information that had spread in the public sphere about prosecutors’ complaints about mobbing, persecution, etc. But the prosecutor responded to these questions in detail in the faction. And we believe that there are problems and that solutions are being sought so that there will be no more conflicts among prosecutors in the future,” said Girskienė.
“Questions were also asked about the so-called ‘cheque’ cases—why some politicians face criminal liability for certain amounts, while others get away with only civil liability,” she emphasised.
Kasčiūnas voiced criticism
Conservative leader Laurynas Kasčiūnas claims that the ruling party is taking revenge for the so-called “cheque” scandal. According to him, if the vote is secret, the Conservatives will not participate.
“I think this is revenge for the ‘cheque’ (…). We understand what is going on here. What is happening is that if there is a secret ballot, the candidacy will probably be rejected. It is very likely,” Kasčiūnas told journalists in the Seimas before the Seimas session.
“We are saying very simply: if there is an open vote, as planned, we will participate; if there is a secret ballot, you will certainly not be able to hide behind us and accuse us of not supporting the candidate for prosecutor general. In that case, we will probably not participate in the vote,” he explained.
At the start of the Seimas session, parliament approved the Social Democratic faction’s proposal to decide on Grunskienė candidacy by secret ballot, so the Conservative leader assured that his faction would not participate in the vote.
“The introduction of a secret ballot on the candidacy of the prosecutor general clearly means that the Social Democrats have decided to reject this candidacy. Therefore, the Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats will not participate in this secret ballot,” Kasčiūnas said from the side microphone in the Seimas hall.
Čmilytė-Nielsen: Liberals will participate in the vote
At the same time, Liberal Movement chairwoman Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen stated that, unlike the Conservatives, the Liberals will participate in the ballot and support Grunskienė candidacy.
“Yes, we will participate. The majority of the faction views Grunskienė candidacy positively, and we will support her,” the politician told reporters.
However, Čmilytė-Nielsen also maintains that the Social Democrats’ request for a secret ballot proves that Grunskienė candidacy is not convenient for them.
“The litmus test was the request for a secret ballot, because if the vote had remained open, as planned in today’s agenda, the positions of the factions and members of the Seimas would have been clear,” Čmilytė-Nielsen said before the Seimas session.
“I consider this a sign that the Social Democrats have decided to vote against Grunskienė candidacy,” she continued.
According to the liberal, if Grunskienė candidacy is rejected on Tuesday, it will be another slap in the face for President Gitanas Nausėda, who nominated her as prosecutor general.
“This will be another painful slap in the face for the president. There was already such a case with Haroldas Šinkūnas’ candidacy, but then it was the subject of political bargaining,” Čmilytė-Nielsen commented to journalists in parliament.
Skvernelis: The president secretly said the same thing about the vote as the opposition
For his part, Saulius Skvernelis, Chairman of the Democratic Party faction Vardan Lietuvos (In the Name of Lithuania), said on Monday that he had also heard the country’s leader express the opinion that if parliamentarians decided to vote on the candidacy in secret, it would most likely be a signal that Grunskienė would not be confirmed.
“Yesterday, the president said the same thing to the political parties – if there is a secret ballot, then I, as president, understand that message perfectly well,” said Skvernelis.
In addition, the Democrats’ chairman said his faction would participate in the vote and support Grunskienė candidacy.
“Yes, we will support her. It seems to me that the prosecutor has certainly distinguished herself during this period by not being a puppet,” he said.
Ruginienė is defending
Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė says that this will allow every member of parliament to express their opinion freely.
“I think that a secret ballot is the most reliable way to express one’s opinion freely. Then, when we vote on personnel matters, there is no fear of party discipline, for example, that people have to vote one way or another. A secret ballot is a way for everyone to decide freely, according to their own views and values,” Ruginienė told reporters in the Seimas on Tuesday.
“If we want democratic, free voting, then a secret ballot is the way to go,” she added.
At the start of Tuesday’s Seimas session, parliament approved the Social Democratic faction’s proposal to decide on Grunskienė candidacy by secret ballot. Usually, the Seimas decides on the Prosecutor General by open vote.
The prime minister indicated that, due to her busy schedule, she was unsure whether she would be able to participate in the secret ballot herself. However, when asked how she assessed the candidacy of Grunskienė, presented by President Gitanas Nausėda, Ruginienė stated that she had no negative opinion of it.
“I don’t have any major complaints about her work. I don’t really have much experience working with her, because I’ve only been prime minister for less than four months and we haven’t had much contact,” explained the head of government.
“It’s just challenging for me to decide. I can only judge (ELTA) based on what I hear in the public sphere. I have no negative opinion whatsoever,” she said.
Some members of the opposition claim that in a secret ballot, the ruling party will most likely reject Grunskienė candidacy as a form of retaliation for the so-called “cheque” cases, but Ruginienė disagrees.
“You know, a lot of labels have been attached recently; everyone wants to attach something negative. But as I said, the candidate visited the factions, answered questions, and, again, why a secret ballot—so that everyone, having heard the arguments, could make their own personal decision,” said Ruginienė.
ELTA reminds us that parliament approved the Social Democratic faction’s proposal and decided to vote on Grunskienė candidacy for prosecutor general by secret ballot. A decision on this candidacy is expected on Tuesday.
Her candidacy was submitted to parliament by President Gitanas Nausėda. According to the head of state, Grunskienė competence and professional experience are beyond doubt; she is highly regarded by her fellow prosecutors and other lawyers and is known for her high standards of morality and transparency.
On Tuesday morning, Seimas Chairman Juozas Olekas told Žinių radijas that there are differing opinions among the Social Democrats about Grunskienė. Therefore, according to him, whether the candidate will receive support is an open question.
Grunskienė was appointed Prosecutor General in January 2021. Her term will end on January 13.
If the Seimas approves, Grunskienė will lead the Prosecutor General’s Office for a second consecutive term.
The Constitution stipulates that the Prosecutor General is appointed and dismissed by the President of the country, with the Seimas’s approval.
The term of office of the prosecutor general is five years.
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