The President of Lithuania announced that he will not approve the ministerial candidates from the “Neman Down” party. Remijius Gemaitaitis group is accused of anti-Semitism. According to Gitanas Nauseda, the inclusion of this party in the new ruling coalition was a “mistake”.
– I don't support it, don't even try to nominate candidates – Gitanas Nauseda, the president of Lithuania, told journalists in response to the signing of the coalition agreement on Monday after the parliamentary session in October about the politicians of the Švit Niemen party. election
The coalition was formed by three parties: the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP), Shvit Niemen and the Democratic Union “In the name of Lithuania”. It will have 86 seats in the 141-seat parliament.
However, the president did not rule out the possibility of discussing the issue of the nomination of technocratic candidates, that is, non-partisan candidates proposed by the Jamaitaitis party. He added: “I don't know which respectable person wants to be introduced to the leader of this party.”
The leader of Shvit Niemen is accused of anti-Semitism
Jemaitaitis, the leader of Shvit Niemen, a party founded a year ago, is on trial for inciting hatred against Jews, as well as other acts that degrade the dignity of this ethnic group. The Lithuanian Constitutional Court found him guilty of violating the constitution and the oath of the parliament, as a result of which Žemaitaitis resigned.
The chairman of Shvit Niemen denies the accusations and claims that in his social media posts he criticized Israel, not the Jewish nation. He wrote a letter to the ambassadors of NATO and European Union countries in Lithuania, stating that neither he nor the party he leads are anti-Semitic.
The Social Democrats criticized Schwit Niemen for inviting him to the coalition
The invitation of Schwit Niemen to join the ruling coalition was criticized by foreign politicians, including: Chairman of the US Senate Foreign Affairs Committee Ben Cardin, Chairman of the German Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee, Social Democrat Michael Roth, Chairman of the Israeli Parliament Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Julie Edelstein and Vice President of the US Senate of the Republic of Poland Michal Kaminsky.
Kaminsky wrote on Facebook on November 9: “I accept with concern the announcement of the entry of openly chauvinist and anti-Semitic forces into the government of the Republic of Lithuania.” “When Russia openly supports Israel's enemies, there can be no room for anti-Semitism,” he said.
The decision of the Social Democratic Party to invite Shvit Niemen to the coalition is also criticized by the currently ruling center-right politicians and Lithuanian civil society.
Activists announced that they will organize a “Ten Minutes of Silence” demonstration in front of the parliament on Thursday during the swearing-in of newly elected deputies. It will appeal to the Social Democratic Party, the Democratic Union “In the Name of Lithuania” and President Nauseda to change the coalition.
Protesters stressed that they intend to observe the values they believe the new ruling coalition is trying to destroy: political decency, Lithuania's international reputation and the memory of the Holocaust with a minute's silence.
In the parliamentary elections, LSDP won 52 seats out of 141 seats in the Seimas, Shvit Niemna won 20 seats, and the Democratic Union “In the Name of Lithuania” won 14 seats. According to the agreement, Shvit Niemna will occupy leadership positions in the ministries. agriculture, ecology and justice.
Main photo credit: Karolis Cavolelis / Shutterstock.com
