Key facts
- Lithuania's Social Democrat party voted to remove Nemunas Dawn from the coalition.
- The Social Democrats will seek to partner with the centre-right For Lithuania party.
- The move aims to maintain the government's parliamentary majority.
- Nemunas Dawn's leader, Remigijus Zemaitaitis, was convicted of incitement to hatred against Jews and belittling the Holocaust.
- Nemunas Dawn voted against a government plan to establish new military grounds at the border with Belarus.
Lithuania's ruling Social Democrat party has voted to remove the populist Nemunas Dawn party from its coalition government. The decision was driven by concerns over the increasing radicalism of Nemunas Dawn's chairman, Remigijus Zemaitaitis, who was convicted of incitement to hatred against Jews and belittling the Holocaust. The Social Democrats aim to replace Nemunas Dawn with the centre-right For Lithuania party to maintain their slim parliamentary majority. This political realignment comes at a time of heightened geopolitical tensions, particularly concerning Russia and the country's border with Belarus. The Farmers and Greens Union is also part of the current coalition, and significant changes may occur during the upcoming coalition talks.