Rebellious SocDem MPs ask party’s congress to annul council’s decision to withdraw from coalition

The letter addressed by MPs Algirdas Butkevičius, Gediminas Kirkilas, Irena Šiaulienė, Juozas Bernatonis and Rimantas Sinkevičius to the party’s 36th congress also said that the statute of the LSDP had been breached by the party’s council.

According to the MPs, the number of votes cast when taking the decision exceeded the number of LSDP council members registered at the meeting. They also alleged a breach of the principle of democracy in particular as the proposals “to specify the reasons for the termination of the coalition agreement” had not been taken into account.

The lawmakers who rebelled against the decision by the party’s council and were eventually accused of breaching the party’s statute also claimed that the coalition agreement signed after the elections could only be terminated by the party’s congress.

Late in September, the LSDP council voted to withdraw from the government coalition with the LFGU. However, the Social Democratic MPs opposing this decision later signed an agreement with the LFGU forming a coalition between the two political groups at the Seimas.

The Social Democratic Party’s Ethics and Procedures Commission then stated that such behavior by the party’s lawmakers breached the statute of the LSDP. On Saturday, it is expected propose sanctions for rebellious MPs, who might face a warning, a reprimand or expulsion from the party.