| Remigijus Žemaitaitis | |
| Office: | Member of the Seimas |
| Constituency: | Šilalė-Šilutė |
| Term Start: | 15 November 2009 |
| Term End: | 2 May 2024 |
| Predecessor: | Zigmantas Balčytis |
| Birth Date: | 30 May 1982 |
| Birth Place: | Šilutė, Lithuania |
| Spouse: | Živilė Žemaitaitienė[1] |
| Children: | 2 |
| Party: | Order and Justice (until 2020) Freedom and Justice (2020–2023) Dawn of Nemunas (since 2023) |
| Alma Mater: | Vilnius University |
Remigijus Žemaitaitis (born 30 May 1982) is a Lithuanian right-wing politician and[2] former member of the Seimas, known for his controversial statements.[3] [4] [5]
Žemaitaitis was born on 30 May 1982 in Šilutė. In 2005, he graduated from the Faculty of Law at the Vilnius University. Until 2007 he worked as a lawyer and assistant at courts. Between 2007 and 2009 he worked as an assistant to the mayor of Vilnius and, later, a member of the European Parliament Juozas Imbrasas and former President of Lithuania Rolandas Paksas.
A member of the Order and Justice party, Žemaitaitis was elected to the Tenth Seimas in 2009, in the by-election in the single-seat constituency of Šilutė-Šilalė.[6] He was reelected to the Eleventh Seimas in 2012. He was elected the chairman of the Economics Committee at the parliament.[7]
In elections in 2016, Žemaitaitis headed the electoral list of Order and Justice.[8] After these elections, party's leader Rolandas Paksas resigned. Žemaitaitis became the interim leader of the party.
In 2018, the party suffered splits and its support declined. After 2019 presidential election, the Order and Justice joined the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union-led government. According coalition's agreement, Žemaitaitis became the Deputy Speaker of Seimas. Two months later, the Order and Justice parliamentary group dissolved itself and Žemaitaitis became unaffiliated member of Seimas. In November, 2019, Žemaitaitis was removed from the Deputy Speaker's position after vote of no confidence.
In 2020, the Lithuanian Freedom Union (Liberals), the Order and Justice and the movement "Forward, Lithuania" merged into party the Freedom and Justice. Žemaitaitis was elected its leader.
On 27 January 2024, Žemaitaitis announced that he will run as a candidate in the 2024 presidential election.[9]
In May 2023, Žemaitaitis published antisemitic anti-Israel comments on Facebook, and, among other claims, 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.[10] The comments were received with harsh criticism and condemnation from Lithuanian politicians, the Lithuanian Jewish community and numerous ambassadors to Lithuania. The office of the Prosecutor General launched an ongoing investigation to Žemaitaitis' actions.[11] On 19 May 2023 Freedom and Justice terminated Žemaitaitis' membership in party due to his antisemitic statements.[12]
In response, he founded the party Dawn of Nemunas (Nemuno aušra).[13]
Žemaitaitis describes himself as a conservative liberal.[14]
Žemaitaitis is opposed to legalization of multiple citizenship in Lithuania, and supports civil unions for same-sex couples, but not same-sex marriage.[15] He abstained on the 26 May 2022 vote on a compromise civil union bill in the Seimas.[16] He is opposed to the ratification of the Istanbul Convention.[17]
In 2017, he proposed the restoration of the death penalty in Lithuania.[18]