Lithuania's new government takes office amid controversy over antisemitism

By Andrius Sytas

Lithuania's new centre-left government took office on Thursday, led by Social Democrat Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas and including a party whose leader is on trial accused of antisemitic statements.

Paluckas' government said it would raise taxes for high earners, improve health and education services and support Ukraine financially by at least 0.25% of Lithuania's gross domestic product each year.

It said the European Union and NATO member state would keep defence spending at 3.5% of GDP and avoid any relationship with Russian authorities during the war in Ukraine. It identified China as a growing security challenge.

"China's strategic partnership with Russia and the growth of its influence in Belarus is a threat," the government said in a manifesto approved by parliament on Thursday.

After an election in October, the Social Democrats out together a coalition with the Nemunas Dawn and For Lithuania parties with control of 86 seats in the 141-member parliament.

Nemunas Dawn party founder and head Remigijus Zemaitaitis resigned from parliament in April, before an impeachment vote, after the Constitutional Court ruled he had broken his oath by stirring up hatred against Jews in social media posts last year.

Zemaitaitis has said the posts were not antisemitic.

The party holds three of the 14 ministerial portfolios in the government, including justice minister, after taking third place in the October election with 15% of the popular vote and 20 seats.

Paluckas dropped an election pledge to keep Nemunas Dawn out of government, saying he needed a stable parliamentary majority. This caused street protests.

Parliament voted last week to strip Zemaitaitis of immunity, allowing a trial to proceed on charges of "attempting to create hostility, and provoking intolerance, towards Jews" and playing down the Holocaust in Lithuania in social media posts.

Zemaitaitis, whose approval rating was 41% in a recent Lietuvos Rytas/Vilmorus poll, ahead of Paluckas with 36%, contested the charges. He told parliament he was the victim of a "political trial".

Paluckas, 45, is the Social Democrats' deputy leader. He is leading the government after party leader Vilija Blinkeviciute, the face of its election campaign, remained in the European Parliament, citing health reasons.

Paluckas led the Social Democrats from 2017-21 although in 2012 Lithuania's highest court upheld a guilty verdict against him of illegally tampering with the outcome of a public tender while head of the Vilnius municipality administration.

He quit that post after the party's lacklustre showing in an parliamentary election in 2020.