The Constitution currently stipulates that a Member of the Seimas may be appointed only either as the Prime Minister or a Minister. The submitted amendments propose establishing that a Member of the Seimas may be appointed only as the Prime Minister.
The initiators of the draft maintain that the amendments would facilitate effective work of Members of the Seimas and contribute to a more efficient representation of voters. Should the Seimas approve the amendments, they will become effective as from 1 January 2018 and Members of the Seimas elected in 2020 would be subject to them.
After the presentation of the constitutional amendments to the Seimas, 56 Members of the Seimas voted in favour of the draft amendments, with 1 vote against and 17 abstentions. Following the draft’s submission to and approval by the Seimas, it will further be considered by the Committee on Legal Affairs, designated as the lead committee to scrutinise the draft amendments. The Seimas plans to return to the consideration of this matter at its sitting on 3 November 2016.
