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Dawn of Nemunas
The Political Party "Dawn of Nemunas" (Lithuanian: Politinė partija "Nemuno Aušra", PPNA), often shortened to Dawn of Nemunas or Nemunas Dawn (Lithuanian: Nemuno aušra, NA), is a populist and nationalist political party in Lithuania. It was founded in November 2023 by Remigijus Žemaitaitis after his expulsion from the Freedom and Justice party due to his antisemitic statements. In June 2024, the party gained representation in the Seimas after three MPs joined; one formerly of the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union and two formerly of the Labour Party.
Ideological classifications of the party differ. On social issues, Dawn of Nemunas has often been described as right-wing, while on economic issues it has often been described as centre-left. The party characterises itself as centre-left.
In May 2023, Remigijus Žemaitaitis published antisemitic comments on Facebook, in which he claimed that "the Jews and Russians" oppressed ethnic Lithuanians during the Second World War and were responsible for the 1944 massacre of the village of Pirčiupiai. The comments were received with harsh criticism and condemnation from Lithuanian politicians, the Lithuanian Jewish community and numerous ambassadors to Lithuania. Žemaitaitis later claimed that his comments were targeted towards Israel and claimed that he would support a death sentence for Benjamin Netanyahu for his actions against Palestinians. The Office of the Prosecutor General launched an ongoing investigation into Žemaitaitis' actions. On 19 May 2023, Freedom and Justice terminated Žemaitaitis's membership, and Artūras Paulauskas became the party's interim chairman.
On 11 November 2023, Žemaitaitis announced the creation of a political party under the name Dawn of Nemunas (NA), named after the country's largest river and the country's first newspaper, Aušra, a major symbol of the 19th-century Lithuanian National Revival. He also said that his party planned to take part in all elections held in 2024 and nominate its own presidential candidate. Earlier, Žemaitaitis said he had gathered 3,164 people to form the party, of whom 2,950 participated in the founding convention. He also claimed that most of the Freedom and Justice faction had joined the new party.
The party was registered on 16 January 2024. The party had 2,296 inaugural members during the registration. Around that time, Lithuanian Prosecutor General Nida Grunskienė asked the parliament to strip Žemaitaitis of his legal immunity, stating that the pre-trial investigation suggests that Žemaitaitis "publicly ridiculed, expressed contempt for, and incited hatred against a group of people of Jewish nationality", after which the politician announced his bid for the presidency as the NA's candidate. He resigned from the Seimas on 2 May, after the Constitutional Court of Lithuania ruled towards his impeachment. Žemaitaitis finished in fourth place in the presidential election, receiving 9.21% of the vote in the first round held on 12 May.
Agnė Širinskienė, former member of the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union, and Aidas Gedvilas and Artūras Skardžius, formerly from the Labour Party, joined Dawn of Nemunas on 19 June 2024. With Žemaitaitis's previous resignation from parliament, this increased the party's representation to three members of the Seimas.
In July 2024, ahead of the 2024 Lithuanian parliamentary election, polls showed that about 36.5% of voters would be willing to consider voting for the party. Supporters of the Labour Party, Lithuanian Regions Party, and Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union were most likely to view Žemaitaitis favorably. He was also viewed favorably by a large percentage of voters from centre-left parties and around a fifth of Liberals' Movement voters, while supporters of the centre-right Homeland Union (TS–LKD) were least likely to support him. In August, the party's polling surpassed 10%, overtaking the ruling TS-LKD.
Prior to the election, Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė of the TS–LKD and President Gitanas Nausėda warned parties against forming a coalition with NA due to Žemaitaitis's antisemitic statements. TS-LKD leader Gabrielius Landsbergis urged other parties to form a cordon sanitaire against it. After the president's warnings, the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania (LSDP), which had initially viewed NA as a potential partner after elections, ruled out forming a coalition with it.
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Dawn of Nemunas
The Political Party "Dawn of Nemunas" (Lithuanian: Politinė partija "Nemuno Aušra", PPNA), often shortened to Dawn of Nemunas or Nemunas Dawn (Lithuanian: Nemuno aušra, NA), is a populist and nationalist political party in Lithuania. It was founded in November 2023 by Remigijus Žemaitaitis after his expulsion from the Freedom and Justice party due to his antisemitic statements. In June 2024, the party gained representation in the Seimas after three MPs joined; one formerly of the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union and two formerly of the Labour Party.
Ideological classifications of the party differ. On social issues, Dawn of Nemunas has often been described as right-wing, while on economic issues it has often been described as centre-left. The party characterises itself as centre-left.
In May 2023, Remigijus Žemaitaitis published antisemitic comments on Facebook, in which he claimed that "the Jews and Russians" oppressed ethnic Lithuanians during the Second World War and were responsible for the 1944 massacre of the village of Pirčiupiai. The comments were received with harsh criticism and condemnation from Lithuanian politicians, the Lithuanian Jewish community and numerous ambassadors to Lithuania. Žemaitaitis later claimed that his comments were targeted towards Israel and claimed that he would support a death sentence for Benjamin Netanyahu for his actions against Palestinians. The Office of the Prosecutor General launched an ongoing investigation into Žemaitaitis' actions. On 19 May 2023, Freedom and Justice terminated Žemaitaitis's membership, and Artūras Paulauskas became the party's interim chairman.
On 11 November 2023, Žemaitaitis announced the creation of a political party under the name Dawn of Nemunas (NA), named after the country's largest river and the country's first newspaper, Aušra, a major symbol of the 19th-century Lithuanian National Revival. He also said that his party planned to take part in all elections held in 2024 and nominate its own presidential candidate. Earlier, Žemaitaitis said he had gathered 3,164 people to form the party, of whom 2,950 participated in the founding convention. He also claimed that most of the Freedom and Justice faction had joined the new party.
The party was registered on 16 January 2024. The party had 2,296 inaugural members during the registration. Around that time, Lithuanian Prosecutor General Nida Grunskienė asked the parliament to strip Žemaitaitis of his legal immunity, stating that the pre-trial investigation suggests that Žemaitaitis "publicly ridiculed, expressed contempt for, and incited hatred against a group of people of Jewish nationality", after which the politician announced his bid for the presidency as the NA's candidate. He resigned from the Seimas on 2 May, after the Constitutional Court of Lithuania ruled towards his impeachment. Žemaitaitis finished in fourth place in the presidential election, receiving 9.21% of the vote in the first round held on 12 May.
Agnė Širinskienė, former member of the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union, and Aidas Gedvilas and Artūras Skardžius, formerly from the Labour Party, joined Dawn of Nemunas on 19 June 2024. With Žemaitaitis's previous resignation from parliament, this increased the party's representation to three members of the Seimas.
In July 2024, ahead of the 2024 Lithuanian parliamentary election, polls showed that about 36.5% of voters would be willing to consider voting for the party. Supporters of the Labour Party, Lithuanian Regions Party, and Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union were most likely to view Žemaitaitis favorably. He was also viewed favorably by a large percentage of voters from centre-left parties and around a fifth of Liberals' Movement voters, while supporters of the centre-right Homeland Union (TS–LKD) were least likely to support him. In August, the party's polling surpassed 10%, overtaking the ruling TS-LKD.
Prior to the election, Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė of the TS–LKD and President Gitanas Nausėda warned parties against forming a coalition with NA due to Žemaitaitis's antisemitic statements. TS-LKD leader Gabrielius Landsbergis urged other parties to form a cordon sanitaire against it. After the president's warnings, the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania (LSDP), which had initially viewed NA as a potential partner after elections, ruled out forming a coalition with it.
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