After losing the presidential elections, Lithuanian government leader Ingrida Simonyte has now also lost the parliamentary elections. Her conservative Fatherland League only came in second place after more than 90 percent of the votes had been counted. The big winners are probably the social democrats.
They won 20 percent of the votes. The Fatherland Union follows with 17 percent, but everything points to a change of power: “I think it will be a coalition with two left-wing parties,” SD leader Vilija Blinkeviciute said on Sunday. She mentioned the Peasant Party, the Greens and the ‘For Lithuania’ party as possible partners. “I think our voters, our people, have said they want some changes,” she said, pointing to income, housing, health care and education as top concerns.
High cost of living and Russia major issues
If Blinkeviciute manages to form a government, she is expected to maintain Lithuania’s tough stance on Russia and high defense spending. Many citizens of the Baltic country are dissatisfied with the sharp increase in the cost of living and the work of the authorities. However, the country’s fundamental direction, namely continuing to support Ukraine and increasing defense spending out of fear of a Russian attack, is not in question.
The Baltic state with its 2.9 million inhabitants has a mixed electoral system in which half of the parliament is elected via proportional representation with a threshold of five percent. The other half is elected through direct mandates. If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the votes in their constituency, a second election will take place within two weeks.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
