Perceived Authenticity as the Basis for a Politician’s Popularity in Lithuania: The Success Formula of Remigijus Žemaitaitis

Abstract

This article draws on empirical material from in-depth semi-structured qualitative interviews collected during a research expedition in the summer of 2024 to examine the causes of the electoral popularity of Remigijus Žemaitaitis, leader of Nemuno aušra, through the lens of the concept of political authenticity. On the one hand, the concept of perceived political authenticity — rarely employed in Lithuanian political science — offers a novel perspective on the factors underlying the rapid rise in popularity of certain new political forces in Lithuania and highlights the mechanisms of their interaction. On the other hand, the study expands the field of political authenticity research by providing a case analysis from a region that has received relatively little attention from this perspective and is characterized by comparatively low levels of political trust and party identification, as well as the frequent emergence of new parties. In doing so, it reveals in greater detail how the mechanisms of political authenticity operate in fostering a politician’s popularity in such a context. The article also, drawing on the most recent scholarship in the field, presents a more detailed account of the concept of political authenticity itself, as it is being integrated into Lithuanian political science research.