VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — Lithuania’s center-left opposition party celebrated Monday its victory over the center-right ruling coalition in the final round of national elections.
With 100% of the votes counted in Sunday’s poll, the Social Democrats won 52 seats in the 141-seat parliament known as Seimas, ending the four-year rule of conservative Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė’s Fatherland Coalition government. .
The Social Democratic Party plans to begin talks to form a majority government between two smaller centre-left parties, the Democratic Alliance and the Peasants' Greens, which won 14 and eight seats respectively. The coalition government is expected to control at least 74 seats.
Simonite’s Fatherland Union won only 28 seats in two elections.
Social Democratic Party leader Vilija Brinkeviciute thanked supporters as crowds celebrated the victory in downtown Vilnius on Sunday.
“We are very grateful to the Lithuanian people who voted actively for us today,” she said, adding: “The results show that the people want change, a completely different government.” .
The result was a surprise to the ruling Conservative Party, which had only two seats behind the Social Democrats at the end of the first round of voting.
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Analysts had predicted that Lithuania’s historical pattern of voters tending to change their views every four years would continue.
Simonite noticed the pattern and conceded. “That is the way it is in Lithuania, and every election we see the pendulum swinging in one direction,” she told reporters. “We respect the will of the voters.”
The vote in Lithuania, which borders Russia’s Kaliningrad enclave to the west and Belarus to the east, comes amid growing concerns about Russia’s intentions in the country’s war with Ukraine, particularly in the strategically important Baltic Sea region. Ta.
Analysts are of the view that there will be no major changes in Lithuania’s foreign policy. The European Union and NATO member states are enthusiastic supporters of Ukraine.
The outgoing government had faced criticism for the strict measures it had adopted during the pandemic, with many complaining that it had not done enough to support businesses during the lockdown. Others say thousands of people did not have adequate access to medical care.
Simonite has also been criticized for his treatment of migrants arriving via Belarus. Lithuania, like Russia, claims that its eastern neighbor orchestrated the influx of people, mainly from Africa and the Middle East.
Most voters appear unimpressed, even though the country has recorded double-digit annual personal income growth and has one of the lowest inflation rates in the 27-nation bloc. .
The result also means that a new cabinet can be formed without the populist party Nemno Ausula, which came in third place with 20 seats. Its leader, Remigijus Zemaitaitis, had to resign from parliament earlier this year after making anti-Semitic comments.
Following the results, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis announced his resignation from the Union leadership and said he would retire from politics.
Voter turnout on Sunday was 41.31%, the highest level for a runoff election.
