The Liberal and Centre Union, which is part of the ruling coalition, is against the legalisation of same-sex partnerships, reports delfi.lt.  This statement was given by the Chairman of the Party Mr. Algis Čaplikas in a press release, stating that: “The Civil Partnership Legislation, prepared by the Ministry of Justice, does not concern homosexual persons but explicitly covers a partnership between a male and a female, – the position which is in line with that of the Liberal and Centre Union”.

The Liberal Movement in turn is the only party which claimed it is committed to legalising same-sex partnerships out of the five leading Lithuanian political parties that participated in the television debate organised by the news agency BNS and “Lietuvos Rytas” television on Sunday, 26 August.

“We have prepared and registered the legislation on Civil Partnership. If we get an opportunity, we will certainly pass the legislation, which will enable Lithuanian citizens to make their own decisions regarding the formalisation of their relationships with their partners. We are in favour of the legalisation of the civil partnership, regardless of the sex of the persons,” stated Eligijus Masiulis, the Minister of Transport and the Chairman of the Liberal Movement (part of the ruling coalition), in the Sunday debate.

According to certain provisions of the Lithuanian Constitution, the act of marriage is an agreement based on the free will of a male and a female. A civil partnership, as a formal acknowledgement of a relationship between two persons who are not married, was envisaged in the Civil Code, which came into force in 2001. However, due to the absence of a special legislation enabling the aforementioned provision, the provision never came into force.

Remigijus Šimašius, the Lithuanian Minister of Justice, delegated by the Liberal Movement, has prepared a project which would legalise a heterosexual civil partnership, while Aušrinė Marija Pavilionienė of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party had previously registered a project legalising both heterosexual and same-sex civil partnerships. However, the Committee on Legal Affairs of the Lithuanian Parliament has ruled that the latter project may be unconstitutional.