Sunday’s parliamentary elections in Lithuania were won by the center-left opposition as it seeks to form a coalition.
On Monday, Lithuania’s center-left opposition emerged as the big winner in the legislative elections against the ruling conservatives, after a campaign marked by concerns about the increasing cost of living and social disparities.
According to partial results obtained Monday morning, the Social Democratic Party came well ahead with 52 seats out of the 141 seats in Parliament and hopes to form a coalition. It is largely superior to the Christian Democrats of outgoing Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte (28 seats).
According to Vilija Blinkeviciute, the leader of the Social Democrats, the election results demonstrated that the Lithuanian people want change and need a completely different government.
At the age of 64, this woman who has worked her entire career in the public domain is in a strong position to become Prime Minister, having built a reputation as a defender of social issues.
The Social Democrats, who won the largest number of seats in the first round of voting 15 days ago, are set to replace the conservatives in power, a change that analysts say is unlikely to change the support to Ukraine provided by this NATO and EU member country.
Neighboring Russia, with a population of 2.8 million, is cautiously monitored by Lithuania, fearing it could be its next target if Moscow wins its war against Ukraine.
During the election campaign, all major Lithuanian parties agreed on support for Ukraine and the need to maintain or even increase the defense budget, which amounts to around 3% of GDP, beyond the 2% objective set for members of the Atlantic Alliance.
The Social Democratic Party, responsible for the government from 2012 to 2016, intends to form an alliance with the Democratic Union On behalf of Lithuania And the People’s Union of Lithuanian Peasants. As a whole, these parties obtained 74 seats, which represents an absolute majority.
The Social Democrats have promised to raise pensions, make taxation more progressive, tax luxury goods and increase funding for social services.
Socialists reject the idea of joining a new populist party, Dawn over the Niemenled by former MP Remigijus Zemaitaitis, amid controversy during the campaign. The partial results give him 20 seats and place him in third position.
Remigijus Zemaitaitis last year resigned his seat in parliament after accusations of anti-Semitic comments. He is accused of inciting hatred, a charge he denies, saying he only denounced the Israeli government’s policy in Gaza.
