Žemaitaitis – a Media Darling and Future Lithuanian President

 

His ability to dominate media cycles and capture a substantial portion of the protest vote makes him a consequential, if deeply divisive, force in the Lithuanian political landscape, see Donald Trump. German economy is going down the drain. Lithuanian economy is a part of German economy. Donald Trump used economic hardship of populus to get political power. It is Žemaitaitis turn in Lithuania.

 

 

“The Lithuanian media is fascinated by Remigijus Žemaitaitis, pays him disproportionately much attention, and extensively describes various, usually not very significant, statements.

 

R. Žemaitaitis is neither the president, nor the prime minister, nor the leader of one of the most influential parties. However, even after his party was removed from the ruling coalition, the media is quick to present his positions and considerations as if this figure were a sage, able to explain the course of politics better than others or predict future changes more accurately and correctly.

 

On the other hand, R. Žemaitaitis is the most successful anti-establishment political figure, first elected to the Seimas in 2008 and re-elected since then. His popularity fluctuates – sometimes it grows, sometimes it declines, but after declines he is able to recover, win back former supporters or find new ones.

 

He has demonstrated an incredible ability to overcome political difficulties, survive, and continue his political career and even flourish. It seemed that his success and political career came to an abrupt end in 2024, when the Constitutional Court of Lithuania found that he had broken the oath of a member of the Seimas and violated the Constitution.

 

In order to avoid impeachment, he himself renounced his Seimas mandate, founded a new party, turned himself into a symbol of a “victim of the system” in the eyes of some voters and maintained his popularity – according to polls, his support reaches double digits.

 

He was successfully re-elected to the Seimas, and in the 2024 presidential election he collected a rather impressive number of votes – 9.28 percent.

 

Right-wing populist R. Žemaitaitis presents himself as a representative and defender of voters forgotten by other parties. He states his positions and attitudes directly, openly and often criticizes the government, seeking to create the appearance that it is indifferent to the fate of ordinary people, and if not indifferent, then at least not determined to fight persistently for them.

 

With his combative rhetoric, he attracts disappointed voters who feel that the “cream” of Vilnius does not care about the concerns of ordinary “village” residents. In addition, R. Žemaitaitis has a good nose for politically sensitive issues that may worry local residents.

 

He stood against the Kapčiamiestis training ground

 

The planned military training ground in Kapčiamiestis is a good example.

 

I do not have enough knowledge to be able to judge whether a training ground is necessary and whether Kapčiamiestis is the most suitable place for it. Both the presidency, the Ministry of National Defense, and most coalition partners consider the project important from a national security perspective and support the plans to establish a training ground.

 

R. Žemaitaitis is not the only critic of the project, but he is the most visible national politician who has publicly sided with local protesters and questioned the necessity of the training ground.

 

He claimed that the training ground was unnecessary, because even the existing training grounds were allegedly not being fully utilized, that the decision to establish the training ground was imposed, imposed from above, from Vilnius.

 

Local residents were allegedly not properly informed and there was not enough discussion with them. Moreover, they know very well that there is zero probability that a decision will be made to build any military facility in Žvėrynė or Tarandė.

 

The elite may contribute proportionally more financially to national defense, but they manage to ensure that the districts in which they live are not “polluted” by military facilities. This is hardly a fair sharing of the burden of national security.

 

By challenging the prevailing opinion, R. Žemaitaitis performs an important function. Government and party officials must respond – albeit reluctantly and superficially – to his claims and objections, thus initiating a broader public discussion and forcing the Government to explain its motives, plans and justifications in more detail.

 

This, in turn, increases public knowledge and interest, encourages more people to participate more actively in politics in the broad sense, and thus strengthens civil society and solidarity among citizens.

 

R. Žemaitaitis is criticized for constantly claiming that traditional parties, state institutions and some media outlets act against “ordinary people”, devalue them, and look down on them.

 

Critics argue that such rhetoric increases public opposition and reduces trust in democratic institutions. This criticism must be rejected as firmly as possible. Freedom of speech is a fundamental value that must be given priority even in cases where any statements are likely to negatively affect the country’s security or encourage enemies within the country.

 

R. Žemaitaitis quite consciously seeks to stand out, not to be another gray politician in the ranks of gray politicians. It is easy to overdo it, to start defending positions and attitudes that are not worthy of support.

 

He is probably an anti-Semite, although not malicious. Not liking Jews is not a crime, but only an anti-Semite would speak about Jews so often and not very friendly.

 

In some respects he is inconsistent. He is a jerk when criticizing others, but reacts very sensitively when he himself receives criticism or reproaches.

 

He quite often complains that he is being persecuted, that the actions of law enforcement and courts against him are form of political repression. But some of his actions may violate the law.

 

For example, the VTEK found that he violated the Law on the Reconciliation of Public and Private Interests by not recusing himself from decisions regarding the rental of his car to the party. His critics also point out that more than one institution has made negative conclusions regarding him – the Seimas Commission, the Constitutional Court and courts of general competence.

 

R. Žemaitaitis’ actions often balance between legality and illegality. Until now, he has lived an almost blessed life – he has avoided punishment for possible offenses, although the decisions could easily have been different. Whatever fate can give, it can also take away.

 

He likes to take risks, but risk is an unreliable partner that can leave you in trouble. A guilty verdict would end his series of victories in elections.”