The Samogitian Party ( lt, Žemaičių partija, sgs, Žemaitiu partėjė or sgs, Žemaitiu šalėnė) is an ethnic-regionalist autonomist party of the Lithuania's Samogitian minority founded in April 2008.

Creation

In 2008, the Ministry of Justice refused to register the party claiming that there were not enough participants at its inaugural meeting, but also that the programme failed to explicitly recognize the State of Lithuania's territorial integrity and indivisibility and the fact that the Lithuanian language is the national language. The Ministry finally registered the party in February 2009, a recognition that was indispensable for taking part to any election.

Aims

The Samogitian Party wants

Samogitia Samogitia or Žemaitija ( Samogitian: ''Žemaitėjė''; see below for alternative and historical names) is one of the five cultural regions of Lithuania and formerly one of the two core administrative divisions of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...

to become an area where the

Samogitian language Samogitian ( sgs, žemaitiu kalba, link=no or sometimes ', ''žemaitiu šnekta'' or '; lt, žemaičių tarmė, žemaičių kalba) is an Eastern Baltic language spoken mostly in Samogitia (in the western part of Lithuania). In Lithuania, it is ...

would have official status and where Samogitians would have the right to declare their ethnic nationality.

Membership and party structure

The party has 1,100 members, according to party sources. Several local branches of the party have been established, including one in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, created in May 2009.

Electoral results

The Samogitian Party took part at the 2009 European Parliament election and received 6,961 votes (1.23% of the total). It got more than 4% of the votes (the

electoral threshold The electoral threshold, or election threshold, is the minimum share of the primary vote that a candidate or political party requires to achieve before they become entitled to representation or additional seats in a legislature. This limit can ...

for the

municipal elections In many parts of the world, local elections take place to select office-holders in local government, such as mayors and councillors. Elections to positions within a city or town are often known as "municipal elections". Their form and conduct vary ...

) in the four districts of the

Telšiai County Telšiai County ( lt, Telšių apskritis) is one of ten counties in Lithuania. It is in the west of the country, and its capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capit ...

, in the

Mažeikiai district municipality Mažeikiai District Municipality ( lt, Mažeikių rajono savivaldybė, sgs, Mažėikiu rajuona savivaldībė) is located in the north-west of Lithuania, on the River Venta in Telšiai County. The administrative center of Mažeikiai District is t ...

(544 votes, 6,27%), in the

Rietavas municipality Rietavas Municipality is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania. According to the 2021 Lithuanian census, Rietavas Municipality had the highest fertility rate The total fertility rate (TFR) of a population is the average number of children that ...

(95 votes, 5,04%), in the

Plungė district municipality Plungė District Municipality ( lt, Plungės rajono savivaldybė, Samogitian: ''Plongės rajuona savivaldībė'') is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania. Tourism and pilgrimage Major tourist attraction is Lake Plateliai and nearby town Platel ...

(356 votes, 5,76%) and in the

Telšiai district municipality Telšiai District Municipality ( lt, Telšių rajono savivaldybė, Samogitian: ''Telšiū rajuona savivaldībė'') is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania, containing the city of Telšiai Telšiai (; Samogitian: ''Telšē'') is a city in Lit ...

(501 votes, 5,84%), and in three districts (out of seven) of the

Klaipėda County Klaipėda County ( lt, Klaipėdos apskritis) is one of ten counties in Lithuania, bordering Tauragė County to the southeast, Telšiai County to the northeast, Kurzeme in Latvia to the north, and Kaliningrad Oblast in Russia to the south. To t ...

, i.e. the Kretinga district municipality (373 votes, 5,67%), in the

Skuodas district municipality Skuodas District Municipality is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of thre ...

(253 votes, 6,84%) and the

Klaipėda district municipality Klaipėda District Municipality (Lithuanian: ''Klaipėdos rajono savivaldybė'') is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania. Elderships There are 11 elderships in Klaipėda district municipality: * Agluonėnai eldership * Dauparai-Kvietiniai el ...

(341 votes, 4,49%). In 2012, the party chairman Egidijus Skarbalius, participated as a candidate from The Way of Courage party.

Political context

The respondents in the various censuses do not have the option to choose for the Samogitian ethnicity, a situation similar to the Polish

Kashubians The Kashubians ( csb, Kaszëbi; pl, Kaszubi; german: Kaschuben), also known as Cassubians or Kashubs, are a Lechitic ( West Slavic) ethnic group native to the historical region of Pomerania, including its eastern part called Pomerelia, in nor ...

and

Silesians Silesians ( szl, Ślōnzŏki or Ślůnzoki; Silesian German: ''Schläsinger'' ''or'' ''Schläsier''; german: Schlesier; pl, Ślązacy; cz, Slezané) is a geographical term for the inhabitants of Silesia, a historical region in Central Euro ...

. This had already been contested before courts by the ''Žemaitē bova, īr ė būs'' ("Samogitians were, are and will be") Association, also named'' Žemaitiu soeiga'', which considers that it is a violation of the Constitution, more particularly of the provision that everyone has the right to decide on his nationality. According to Egidijus Skarbalius, the founder of the Samogitian Party, Samogitians could be as many as one million, thus representing a third of Lithuania's total population. By the end of 2008, the Council of

had decided from then on held all its meetings in the Samogitian language. Lithuanian councilmen will have access to interpreters if what is spoken is not entirely comprehensible.

References

External links

Official website
(in Lithuanian) {{Lithuanian political parties Political parties of minorities in Lithuania Political parties in Lithuania 2008 establishments in Lithuania Political parties established in 2008