They are in favor of supporting Ukraine

He Social Democratic Party of Lithuania (LSDP), headed by Vilija Blinkeviute and in favor of maintaining firm support for Kyiv, has won the first legislative election Which is celebrated in the Baltic country bordering Russia and Belarus since the invasion of Ukraine. According to data from the Central Election Commission (CEC), two million Lithuanians were called to vote in the second round this Sunday, of which 41.31% exercised their right, compared to the first round two weeks ago. Ten points less.

The LSDP has expressed its intention to form a coalition with the two other centrist parties currently in opposition, the Democratic Union “For Lithuania” (DSVL) and the Union of Lithuanian Peasants and Greens (LVZS). With this, will overthrow the government To the coalition formed by the conservatives Lithuanian National Union-Christian Democrats (TS-LKD) of Prime Minister Ingrid Simonyte and two other centre-right parties.

“The election results show that the people of Lithuania, no matter where they live – in big or small cities or in villages – want change, they want a completely different government,” BlinkVisit told the public at its party headquarters. Said in statements quoted by. Series LRT. For his part, TS-LKD head Gabrielius Landsbergis accepted defeat and expressed hope that a “Responsible Government”,

A centre-left coalition of six parties in total has won representation in the unicameral parliament, or Seimas, with 141 seats. Calculating results from 1,672 out of a total of 1,685 polling stations, the LSDP has won 52 seats as per LRT projections, with a big advantage compared to the ruling TS-LKD’s 28.

In third place, with 20 mandates, is Nemunas Ausra (NA) or Dawn of the Nemunas (for Lithuania’s largest river), a nationalist and Eurosceptic party founded last year by controversial deputy Remigijus Zamaitis. centrist DSVL and LVZS have taken 14 and eight seats respectivelyThat allows them, together with the social democrats, to form a majority capable of governing comfortably, while the Liberal Movement, a partner of the current executive, achieved 12.

According to BlinkVisit, negotiations to form a government will begin tonight, but the current MEP did not want to clarify whether she herself wishes to occupy the post of prime minister or whether another member of her party will do so. this sunday round 63 direct mandates resolved Corresponding to districts where no candidate exceeded 40%, whereas in the previous round eight direct mandates had already been assigned and 70 were distributed proportionally by lists in the single national constituency.

support for ukraine

According to analysts, an executive led by the LSDP Will move towards left in domestic politics In relation to the outgoing Conservative government, Blinkevisit has committed to raising taxes on the richest people and increasing social and health spending. However, it will maintain the strong support for Ukraine that has characterized Lithuania since the Russian invasion and plans to increase military spending to more than 3.5% of GDP.

Proportionally, the small Baltic country of barely three million inhabitants, bordered by the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad to the south and Belarus to the east, It is the sixth largest contributor to NATO.,

The Simonyte government had lost popularity in recent years due to several political scandals involving ministers, as well as a sharp increase in inflation and the resulting high cost of living. His management of the Covid pandemic and the migration crisis at the border with Belarus had also been the subject of criticism.

The emergence on the political scene of the NA, an economically leftist but socially rightist party and skeptical about support for Ukraine, raised doubts about the position of a future LDSP government, given the possibility of joining the coalition. Had done. However, the rest of the political forces They have formed a kind of circle Due to its leader’s statements against the populist formation, which have been labeled anti-Semitic, the LDSP has stated that it does not see “common points” with the party.