„I hope that in the long run, the feeling of euphoria that is now overwhelming many of the Members of the Seimas, almost half or even more than half, will soon end.
When they are happy with their election, they realise that they have also acquired a tremendous human obligation—a responsibility and a duty.
The further they go, the more the burden of that obligation will weigh on their shoulders, but they must be ready for it and professionally and politically prepared for it. I expect them to do that,“ the President said.
In his speech to the new members of the Seimas, Nausėda called for less expression on social networks. When asked what he was talking about specifically, the President did not specify.
„I am certainly not so familiar with their activity on social networks that I list 28 names of those who have particularly distinguished themselves there.
We are all well aware that we have a 24-hour day, and if you put your activity and energy into one thing, you have less energy left for other things.
So, I want to leave more of that energy for the things that the people of Lithuania elected them for,“ the President said.
Čmilytė-Nielsen: four years of significant responsibility are over
Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, who is coming to the end of her tenure as Speaker of the Seimas, said she felt neither sad nor relieved.
„It is just a realisation that four years of weighty responsibility are over, but it is also a time of a new start – at a time that is important for our country, and the work continues, even in other positions,“ she said.
However, Mrs Čmilytė-Nielsen does not rule out the possibility of her still being appointed as Vice President of the Seimas.
„This is the prerogative of the new Speaker of the Seimas, but the statute obliges him to assign two positions to opposition representatives. We will see how the new Speaker of the Seimas, who will be elected today, because this is the beginning of the work of the Seimas, will decide who to put forward, and then how the Seimas will decide,“ she said.
At the time, when asked whether the opposition would seek to have its own leader, Čmilytė-Nielsen said that arithmetically, the Conservative group had enough MPs to elect the opposition leader on its own.
„Of course, there may be other options, but we have not talked about that“, she said.
The new Seimas begins its work
The Seimas for the 2024–2028 term met for its first sitting on Thursday. As of the start of this meeting, the terms of office of the previously elected members of the Seimas will expire.
The work of the Seimas began with a ceremonial part in the historic 11 March Act Hall. The sitting was chaired by the oldest elected Member of the Seimas, as required by the Seimas Statute. That honour went to the 73-year-old Social Democrat MEP Birutė Vėsaitė.
She wished that the new Seimas would not tolerate hate speech and urged it not to squander the voters' trust in it.
„I wish that this Seimas had no room for hate speeches and bullying. (...) I wish for discussions, but not for fights, for a more respectful mutual communication. The voters have given us a great deal of trust; let us not squander it; let us work so that everyone in Lithuania feels better and be vigilant in protecting Lithuania's independence,“ said Vėsaitė.
She will chair the meeting until the election of Speaker of Seimas.
The President of the Republic Gitanas Nausėda and the Metropolitan Archbishop of Vilnius Gintaras Grušas, as well as the Chairwoman of the Central Election Commission (VRK) Lina Petronienė, came to the historic Parliament Hall to congratulate the elected Seimas.
At the first session of the Seimas, the Chairwoman of the SCC will announce the SCC's decision on the final results of the Seimas elections and read out the list of the Seimas's elected members.
The swearing-in ceremony will follow. They will be sworn in by the President of the Constitutional Court, Gintaras Goda. Only when a Member of the Seimas is sworn to be loyal to the Republic of Lithuania at a Seimas sitting will he or she acquire all the rights of a representative of the people.
After taking the oath of office for the 2024–2028 term, the people's representatives will continue their work in the Seimas's plenary chamber. They will elect the Speaker of Seimas, vice Presidents, the Seimas Board, and the Conference of Elders.
