Neringa mayor Jasaitis to rejoin Social Democrats, seek new term

Neringa Mayor Darius Jasaitis has decided to rejoin the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party and seek another term leading the Neringa municipality, LRT reported, citing BNS.

“I have definitely decided to join. Only the formalities remain,” Jasaitis told BNS on Friday. “I was there for many years and am returning, as they say, to the family.”

He plans to leave the Democratic Union For Lithuania party in September, after a branch meeting is convened, documents are handed over and an interim branch leader is elected.

Jasaitis said his decision was influenced by the Social Democrats’ family policy and their rejection of the previous government’s decision to close Neringa Gymnasium. He also cited Neringa’s practical interests, saying that a small municipality needs support from the central government to carry out major projects.

“To move forward, you need to be close to the major parties. The Social Democratic Party is the largest in Lithuania and, in my view, will always be in government in one form or another. Besides, my heart has always been on the left,” Jasaitis said.

He stressed that his party choice was primarily linked to Neringa’s interests rather than his own.

Jasaitis also confirmed that he intends to stand in the upcoming municipal elections and seek another term as mayor. He said Neringa had achieved enough to justify continuing the work, adding that the municipality’s major projects alone would not fit in small print on an A4 page.

However, Jasaitis said it had not yet been decided whether he would run solely on the Social Democratic Party’s list. He did not rule out a joint list between the Social Democrats and the Democratic Union For Lithuania in Neringa.

Jasaitis was a member of the Labour Party from 2004 to 2010, joined the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party in 2010 and became a member of the Democratic Union For Lithuania in 2021. He has served as Neringa mayor since 2013.