Social Democrats overcome centre-right government in Lithuanian poll

Lithuania’ s centre-left opposition parties are celebrating victory after prevailing over the centre-right ruling coalition in the final round of national elections.

With 100% of votes counted from Sunday’s polls, the Social Democrats won 52 seats in the 141-seat parliament, known as the Seimas, ending the four-year rule of the Homeland Union government led by conservative Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte.

The Social Democrats will start talks on forming a majority cabinet with two smaller centre-left parties, the Democratic Union and the Union of Peasants and Greens, which won respectively 14 and eight seats. The coalition is expected to control at least 74 seats.

Ms Simonyte’s Homeland Union won only 28 seats in the two-round election.

Vilija Blinkeviciute, who heads the Social Democrats, thanked supporters as a cheering crowd celebrated victory in Vilnius on Sunday.

“I am very grateful to the people of Lithuania who were so active today voting for us” she said, adding that “the results have shown that the people want change, a completely different government”.

The outcome was a surprise to the ruling conservatives, who were only two seats behind the Social Democrats after the first round.

Analysts had predicted that Lithuania is set to continue a historic pattern where voters tend to look a different way every four years.

Ms Simonyte conceded, noting the pattern. “In Lithuania that’s the way it is, every election we see the pendulum swinging in one direction or the other,” she told reporters. “We respect the will of the voters.”

The vote in Lithuania, which borders Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave to the west and Belarus to the east, came at a time when Russia’s war in Ukraine is fuelling greater fears about Moscow’s intentions, particularly in the strategically important Baltic region.

Analysts say there will not be any significant change in Lithuania’s foreign policy. The European Union and Nato member is a staunch supporter of Ukraine.

The outgoing government faced criticism for the strict measures it adopted during the pandemic, with many complaining that the government did not do enough to help companies during lockdown. Others say thousands of people did not have proper access to health care.

Ms Simonyte also has been lambasted for her handling of migrants arriving via Belarus. Lithuania has claimed its eastern neighbour, as well as Russia, was orchestrating the influx of people, mostly from Africa and the Middle East.

Although the country has seen annual double-digit personal income growth and has one of the lowest inflation rates in the 27-nation bloc, most voters did not seem to be impressed.

The results also mean that the new cabinet can be formed without the populist Nemuno Ausra party which came in third, with 20 seats. Its leader Remigijus Zemaitaitis had to resign from parliament earlier this year for making antisemitic statements.

Following the results, Gabrielius Landsbergis, Lithuania’s foreign minister, announced his resignation from the leadership of Homeland Union and said he was leaving politics.

Turnout on Sunday was 41.31%, among the highest for a run-off.