Liberal leader says social democrats delay impeachment of Žemaitaitis hoping for “Nemuno aušra” support

Opposition Liberal Movement leader Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen has accused the ruling Social Democrats of delaying the impeachment of “Nemuno aušra” leader Remigijus Žemaitaitis, hoping to secure his party’s support for their bills in the Seimas, LRT reports.

“I might see a different strategy – that Remigijus Žemaitaitis, who is somewhat in limbo, could become a lifeline when making certain decisions, as the government’s programme was approved by a minimal majority, even though part of the Mixed Group votes with the ruling coalition,” she told Žinių radio on Friday.

“It is clear that in one critical case or another, ‘Nemuno aušra’ could become the most negotiable partner from the opposition. Perhaps this is one of the explanations why there is no rush [to initiate impeachment against R. Žemaitaitis],” the MP said.

The ruling coalition of Social Democrats, Democrats, and the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union holds 75 seats in the 141-member parliament.

On Tuesday, the Lithuanian Court of Appeal found Žemaitaitis guilty of inciting hatred against Jews and grossly trivialising the Holocaust, fining him €10,000. The ruling took effect immediately.

The Seimas statute stipulates that parliament must initiate impeachment proceedings if it receives a conviction from a court for a crime committed before or during the person’s term, once the fact of the crime becomes known.

However, Seimas Speaker Juozas Olekas, a Social Democrat, believes that impeachment should not be initiated until the appeal period for the ruling ends or the Supreme Court of Lithuania reviews the case.

Čmilytė-Nielsen said she sees no reason to wait for the Supreme Court’s verdict. “The last time, in a similar situation at the end of 2023, we did not wait for the Supreme Court’s decision; in the case of Vytautas Gapys, impeachment was initiated without delay,” she recalled.

“Interestingly, at that time, the Social Democrats welcomed and supported that decision, emphasising that it was entirely non-political, but a legal procedural one. So, if we want to be consistent, we should follow the same practice, but I hear the opposite approach from the ruling parties,” the Liberal leader said.

She dismissed the argument that initiating impeachment now would allow Žemaitaitis to resign again and return to the Seimas through a by-election in his single-member constituency. “I think it would be more difficult to play the same hit again and collect the same votes,” she said.

“The fear that, say, Remigijus Žemaitaitis or another politician could repeat this story three, four, five times seems unfounded to me. There is the law, there is the Seimas statute, there are precedents, and we should follow them,” the MP said.

BNS reported that the criminal case against the politician was brought over posts about Jews published on Facebook in May and June 2023, as well as public statements. Among other things, Israel was referred to as animals, and it was claimed that Jews contributed to the extermination of the Lithuanian nation.

In its verdict, the Court of Appeal stated that Žemaitaitis, in his statements about Jews, had exceeded the limits of lawful self-expression, systematically and publicly mocked, belittled, and incited hatred against a group of people and individuals belonging to it because of their Jewish nationality.

Žemaitaitis had already faced impeachment over these posts. In April 2024, the Constitutional Court ruled that he had violated his oath and grossly breached the Constitution. Following this decision, the politician resigned his parliamentary mandate to run in the presidential and Seimas elections, and was re-elected to the Seimas in the autumn of 2024.