Lithuanian MPs appeal to ethics committee over referendum delay

Members of the Lithuanian Seimas have filed a request with the Ethics and Procedures Commission to investigate the actions of Julius Sabatauskas, Chairman of the Committee on Legal Affairs. The complaint concerns the delay in considering an advisory referendum regarding the definition of family as enshrined in Article 38 of the Constitution.

Although the Seimas approved an initiative by 63 members for the referendum, the Committee on Legal Affairs has yet to deliberate on the matter despite receiving expert conclusions from Vytautas Magnus University, Vilnius University, and Mykolas Romeris University. Following requests from MPs to include the issue in the agenda, a scheduled hearing for October 1 was canceled without explanation.

MP Audronius Ažubalis criticized the delay, stating that leaving an inconvenient question in a drawer is a sign of disrespect to the people's vote and the parliamentary mandate. The appeal also seeks to determine if there are any signs of a conflict between public and private interests regarding the handling of the issue.