Social Democrat leader dismisses opposition figure’s coup claims as ‘delusional’

Lithuania’s Social Democratic Party (LSDP) leader Mindaugas Sinkevičius has condemned recent statements by Remigijus Žemaitaitis, head of the far-right Nemuno Aušra party, about an alleged upcoming “brutal” state coup as “delusional” and detached from reality, state news agency BNS reported on Tuesday.

Žemaitaitis claimed in a May 22 interview with OpTV that Lithuania would witness an internal coup in September or October, involving “physical confrontations.” Prosecutors have since ordered police to assess whether his remarks constitute a criminal offence.

Sinkevičius suggested Žemaitaitis may be preemptively justifying future legal consequences for himself or his party. “Perhaps he senses that some action will be taken against him or his party,” he told BNS. “There have been many investigations—maybe new ones will start, or old ones will conclude. Maybe we don’t yet know something, and he’s announcing to the public what awaits him so he can later say, ‘See, I told you so.’”

The comments follow an ongoing pre-trial investigation into Žemaitaitis’s March 10 remarks on the same channel, where he referred to Lithuania’s March 11, 1990, independence act as a “coup” and called its signatories “rebels.” Authorities are examining potential violations including public endorsement of international crimes and fraud linked to party vehicle usage.

Žemaitaitis, a former MP, was convicted last December of inciting hatred and Holocaust denial—though the case remains under appeal. The Constitutional Court also ruled in April that he had grossly violated his oath of office and the constitution. He later resigned his seat to run in presidential and parliamentary elections.

Sinkevičius indicated the latest remarks would factor into the LSDP’s upcoming decision on the governing coalition’s future, set for discussion in early June. The Social Democrats currently share power with Nemuno Aušra and the agrarian Greens/Farmers Union, after dropping their previous partners, the Democrats, last autumn. Tensions resurfaced recently when Nemuno Aušra lawmakers opposed a military training ground project in parliament.