Lithuania's Social Democrats remove junior party from coalition government, seek new partner

VILNIUS, June 6 – Lithuania’s ruling Social Democrat party voted on Saturday to remove the populist Nemunas Dawn, whose leader was sentenced for antisemitism, from the coalition government.

The Social Democrats, which led a three-party coalition with a slim majority in parliament, will seek to replace Nemunas Dawn with the centre-right For Lithuania party in order to maintain its majority, leader Mindaugas Sinkevicius said.

“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 Social Democrat leadership meeting.

Nemunas Dawn founder and chairman Remigijus Zemaitaitis was found guilty in December by a Vilnius court of incitement to hatred against Jews and belittling the Holocaust in social media posts. He denied any wrongdoing, calling the verdict politically motivated and filing an appeal.

The Social Democrats had said they would  keep his party in the coalition pending the appeal, but Nemunas Dawn in May voted against a government plan to establish new military grounds at the border with Belarus, while the financial crimes authority conducted searches at Zemaitaitis’ premises as part of a fraud investigation. Zemaitaitis, who is not himself a government minister, again denied any wrongdoing.

The cabinet, which also includes the Farmers and Greens Union, could see major changes during the upcoming talks, said Sinkevicius. He suggested he could take over as the prime minister from deputy Social Democrat leader Inga Ruginiene.

Errant Ukrainian drones are fuelling tensions with the NATO and European Union country’s larger neighbour Russia, at a time when U.S. commitment to NATO’s collective security is in question.

For Lithuania was part of the Social Democrat coalition from 2004 until last year, when it forced the resignation of the previous Social Democrat leader and Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas, who has since been charged with illegal enrichment. REUTERS