Lithuania’s Social Democrats kick out the smaller party from the coalition government and look for a new partner
Lithuania’s ruling Social Democrats on Saturday decided to kick the anti-Semitic Nemunas Dawn party out of the coalition government. The party’s leader was found guilty of antisemitism.
The Social Democrats led a three-party coalition with a narrow majority in parliament. To keep their majority, leader Mindaugas Sinkevicius said they would try to replace Nemunas Dawn with the center-right For Lithuania party. “We were patient… but we see that the (Nemunas Dawn) chairman is getting more radical, while the country needs stability,” Sinkevicius told reporters after a group meeting of the Social Democrats’ leaders.
Remigijus Zemaitaitis, founder and head of Nemunas Dawn, was found guilty by a court in Vilnius in December of writing offensive things about Jews and putting down the Holocaust on social media. He said he hadn’t done anything wrong and that the decision was based on politics. He then filed an appeal.
The Social Democrats said they would keep his party in the coalition until the appeal was heard, but in May, Nemunas Dawn voted against a government plan to build new military bases at the border with Belarus, and Zemaitaitis’ offices were searched as part of an investigation into fraud.
Zemaitis, who is not a minister, denied guilt once more.
The Farmers and Greens Union is part of the cabinet. Sinkevicius said that the upcoming talks could lead to significant changes in the government. He said he might be able to replace Inga Ruginiene as prime minister. Ruginiene is the deputy leader of the Social Democrats.
Drones that shouldn’t be present are exacerbating tensions between Ukraine and its larger neighbor, Russia. This situation is happening at a time when the U.S.’s pledge to NATO’s collective security is being called into question.
Because Lithuania was in the Social Democrat government from 2004 until last year, when it forced Gintautas Paluckas, the former Social Democrat leader and prime minister, to step down. Paluckas has since been charged with illegal enrichment.
