It may be last chance for some parties to adopt civil union law – Nausėda

The Parliament of Lithuania, the Seimas, has included the much-debated bill on civil union in its autumn session agenda. President Gitanas Nausėda thinks that this may be the last opportunity for some parties to live up to their promises and implement their election programme. Same-sex partnership is a crucial matter for the Freedom Party, which had campaigned on this issue.

„Perhaps some parties consider this to be the last chance (&) to fulfil their election promises. Essentially, there were not that many promises and one of the main of them remains unfulfilled. Perhaps this is an attempt to use the final opportunity,“ Nausėda told reporters Tuesday.

„But if this fails, I think the very idea and intention will be significantly discredited. Thus it is a risky action, which may end in a poor result, and then they will have to go to elections with that result,“ the president added.

On Tuesday, parliament approved the agenda of the autumn session, the last one in the 2020-2024 term of office. MP Agnė Širinskienė, a member of the party the Nemunas Dawn, suggested removing the civil union bill from the agenda, yet her proposal was rejected.

Previously parliament approved the draft law in the consideration stage and just the final vote remains for it to be adopted. The law would regulate relations between unmarried couples, including same-sex partners.