Political situation in Lithuania

Lithuanian cat proposed to have final say in media battle

Opposition politicians in Lithuania are resorting to drastic measures to delay a controversial law on increased political control of the management of the country's public service company LRT, reports Politico. Among other things, they have proposed over 100 amendments to the law, all of which must be handled by parliament.

One of the proposals is that opposition politician Agne Sirinskiene's cat should have a decisive vote in all decisions regarding the management of LRT. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda is critical of the situation:

- Veto the cat or adopt the cat proposal? What are we really talking about? Are we discussing a serious bill that will officially reach the president, or are we just joking, he tells Lithuanian journalists.

The final vote has now been postponed until January, writes Meduza. Protests against attempts to increase political control over Lithuania's public service have, according to LRT, gathered tens of thousands of demonstrators and over 140,000 signatures this week.

Massive protests against increased media control in Lithuania

Tens of thousands of people have protested in Lithuania against proposed changes that would increase political control over the country's public service broadcaster LRT, reports Politico Europe.

On December 9, the Lithuanian parliament passed a resolution to make it easier for politicians to dismiss the LRT management. Despite widespread criticism and days of demonstrations, the government is pressing ahead with the changes. A final vote is expected early next year, writes Meduza.

According to LRT, critics say the changes are tailor-made to remove the current public service director, Monika Garbaciauskaite-Budriene. The government, for its part, claims that the measures are a response to an investigation that shows major shortcomings within the company.