Extraordinary conference to vote on removing Staselis as LMKA president

An extraordinary conference is scheduled where members will vote on the removal of Jonas Staselis from his role as president of the Lithuanian Confederation of Artists' Associations (LMKA). The conference agenda also includes appointing a deputy to temporarily assume the presidential duties and discussing the procedures for electing a new president or re-electing the current one.

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Jonas Staselis himself told "Elta" earlier that he saw possible political influence in this situation.

This meeting follows a conference in late April where the LMKA expressed no confidence in J. Staselis. At the time, Staselis suggested to ELTA that he perceived possible political influence in the situation. He also indicated that he did not intend to run for the LMKA leadership again.

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He also indicated that he did not intend to run for LMKA leaders again.

Last December, Monika Garbačiauskaitė-Budrienė, head of the public broadcaster, reported receiving a letter from J. Staselis. In it, the chairman of the Lithuanian National Radio and Television's Content Committee inquired about reports concerning the "Hands Off" protest and moments of silence observed on the public broadcaster's airwaves.

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In response to this, LMKA members Lithuanian Artists' Union, Lithuanian Composers' Union announced they do not support such a position of J. Staselis.

In response to Staselis's letter, several LMKA member organizations, including the Lithuanian Artists' Union and the Lithuanian Composers' Union, announced their disagreement with his stance. Other organizations, such as the Lithuanian Cinematographers' Union, the Lithuanian Literary Translators' Union, and the Lithuanian Photographers' Union, urged him to resign from his LMKA leadership position. The latter three unions also stated they would suspend their membership in the association until a new president took over. An extraordinary conference was planned after these events but did not initially take place.

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Meanwhile, the Lithuanian Cinematographers' Union, Lithuanian Literary Translators' Union and Lithuanian Photographers' Union called on him to resign from the post of LMKA leader.