New Lithuania government takes office amid controversy over antisemitism

VILNIUS (Reuters) – Lithuania’s new centre-left government assumed 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 pledged to raise taxes for high earners, improve health and education services and to support Ukraine financially by at least 0.25% of Lithuania’s gross domestic product (GDP) each year.

It also said it would keep defence spending at 3.5% of GDP, pledged to avoid any relationship with Russian authorities while the war in Ukraine continued, and named China as a growing challenge to Lithuania’s security.

“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.

Following elections in October, the Social Democrats took control of 86 seats in the 141-member parliament after forming a coalition with the Nemunas Dawn and For Lithuania parties.

Nemunas Dawn party founder and head Remigijus Zemaitaitis resigned from parliament in April, ahead of 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 14 ministerial portfolios in the government, including the 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, triggering street protests.

Parliament voted last week to strip Zemaitaitis of immunity, allowing a trial to proceed in which he is charged with “attempting to create hostility, and provoking intolerance, towards Jews”, and with playing down the Holocaust in Lithuania in the social media posts.

Zemaitaitis, whose approval rating stood at 41% of in a recent Lietuvos Rytas/Vilmorus poll, ahead of Paluckas with 36%, contested the charges, telling parliament, “this is absolutely a political trial, this is absolutely a political wrecking”.

(Reporting by Andrius Sytas, editing by Terje Solsvik and Philippa Fletcher)