Saulius Skvernelis has been elected Speaker of the Seimas

Press release, 14 November 2024 

At its first sitting, the Seimas decided to elect Member of the Seimas Saulius Skvernelis as Speaker of the Seimas.

The results of the secret ballot were as follows: 137 ballot papers were distributed and 1 was found invalid. The appointment of Saulius Skvernelis as Speaker of the Seimas was approved by 107 votes in favour, with 19 against and 10 abstentions.

Mr Skvernelis was appointed Speaker of the Seimas for a term of four years.

During his presentation, Mr Skvernelis stated that although he had accumulated extensive experience in leading different teams and institutions during his lifetime, the position of Speaker of the Seimas differed from all the previous positions held by him by one essential characteristic.

‘In the past, I was in charge, and this time, if such is your will, I will have the opportunity to represent you. I see the Speaker of the Seimas not as the head of the Seimas, but as a representative who is listening to each of you and who is guided in his work by a sense of community rather than personality,’ said the politician. In his opinion, the Speaker of the Seimas is neither the superior of the Seimas nor an official higher than other colleagues in the Seimas; he is not the head and cannot tell a Member of the Seimas how he or she should behave.

According to the candidate to the position of Speaker of the Seimas, democracy must be defended and fostered every day, and the Seimas is the place and the institution where a culture of consultation, constructiveness, professionalism, tolerance and respect can be demonstrated and actually implemented.

‘It is up to us to decide what will reverberate in this hall, whether people will hear emotions, reproaches, old grievances and competitive struggles, or whether they will witness a thoughtful, constructive and motivating criticism of colleagues that encourages improvement and a respectful discussion. In this Plenary Chamber, we do not have to repeat history, we can build our own culture of cooperation,’ he claimed.

The candidate to the position of Speaker of the Seimas stated that, over the years, the changing terms of the Seimas and the so-called ‘diligence’ of the Members of the Seimas had significantly contributed to the often unfavourable foreign investment decisions, searching for the image of a state with a stable and predictable legal basis, and called for greater trust in the Government and Government institutions.

‘Four years of leading the Government have taught me a lot, but the strongest thing I have taken away from it is the understanding that the most valuable qualities in politics are the ability not to be blindly stubborn, not to succumb to emotions or one’s own temper, the ability to recognise mistakes and learn from them, and, last but not least, to keep faith and the willingness not to stop serving the Homeland,’ Mr Skvernelis said.

The Statute of the Seimas establishes that the Speaker of the Seimas is elected by secret ballot at the first session of the Seimas for the entire term of office of the Seimas. Candidates to the office of Speaker of the Seimas may be nominated by written application of at least 1/10 of the Members of the Seimas (15 MPs). A candidate is deemed to have been elected if more than half of the Members of the Seimas voted in favour of him or her.

Prepared by

Rimas Rudaitis, Adviser, Press Office, Information and Communication Department, tel. +370 5 209 6132, e-mail: [email protected]