Nemuno Aušra party commits to staying in ruling coalition while policy goals are implemented

The Nemuno Aušra party will continue working within Lithuania’s ruling coalition as long as its policy priorities are being executed, party leader Remigijus Žemaitaitis stated on Friday, LRT reports.

“While our programmatic objectives are being implemented in government, we will certainly remain in the coalition,” Žemaitaitis told journalists after a party board meeting. He added that he would prefer a “bolder decision” from the coalition’s Social Democratic partners.

Recent tensions have surfaced within the coalition after some Nemuno Aušra lawmakers opposed the establishment of a military training ground in Kapčiamiestis. Žemaitaitis, however, said he does not fear changes to the coalition’s composition.

His comments follow a Thursday meeting of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP) board, where leader Mindaugas Sinkevičius indicated that the coalition’s future would be reassessed after the party’s May congress, which will elect new leadership.

Nemuno Aušra, founded in November 2023, holds 18 seats in the 141-member Seimas and is the junior partner in the three-party ruling alliance alongside the LSDP and the Farmers and Greens Union. The current government, led by Social Democrat Ingrida Ruginienė, was formed last summer after former Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas resigned amid media investigations into his business ties.

Looking ahead to next year’s municipal elections, Žemaitaitis announced that party vice-chair Tadas Sadauskis, a Seimas member and Tauragė district representative, will lead Nemuno Aušra’s campaign headquarters. Candidate selection processes are now underway, with most local branches expected to finalise their lists by mid-2026.