Lithuania election: Polls open as center-left eyes win ? DW ? 10/13/2024
Lithuanians are voting in parliamentary elections which could see a change in government. However, analysts say not much will change in terms of foreign policy and defense.
Lithuanians headed to polls on Sunday to vote in the first round of the general elections, which are expected to see a change in government.
The ruling center-right Homeland Union could be replaced by a center-left coalition of the opposition Social Democrats and several smaller parties, opinion polls suggested.
About 2.4 million people are eligible to cast ballots.
The two rounds of voting will see 141 members elected for a four-year term.
If no candidate gets over 50% of the vote in a district, its top two candidates will face each other in a run-off on October 27.
A poll by Vilmorus suggested that the Social Democrats would get twice as many votes as the Homeland Union. However, no party was expected to secure more than 20% of the vote, forcing alliances.
Change in government on the cards
Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte's government has suffered a blow to popularity despite economic growth and low inflation.
"There's a lot of disappointment and discontent among voters. It is related to numerous crises and shocks and cannot be compensated by economic factors like positive change in purchasing power," Rima Urbonaite, a political analyst at the Mykolas Romeris University told The Associated Press news agency.
Many citizens criticized Simonyte's strict COVID-19 pandemic measures and said the government did not help businesses during lockdown. Critics also say they did not have sufficient access to health care services.
The ruling government has also been condemned for its handling of migrants arriving through Russian ally Belarus, with whom Lithuania shares a border.
The Social Democrats have promised to address income inequality by taxing the wealthy and implementing welfare schemes.
President Gitanas Nauseda, who was re-elected for a second term this May, is believed to support a change in government.
Populists shunned by most parties
A newly registered populist party, Nemunas Dawn, led by former member of parliament Remigijus Zemaitaitis, has created controversy in recent months.
Last year, firebrand Zemaitaitis stepped down from his seat after being criticized for antisemitic comments. He is currently on trial for incitement to hatred, and most parties have said they would not form a coalition with him.
Analysts say that a change in government is unlikely to change a lot in Lithuania, as both right- and left-leaning parties agree on several policies such as a pro-Ukraine stance and the need to bolster military spending.
The EU and NATO member is concerned about Russia's expansionist policies.
German soldiers help beef up Lithuania's defense To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
tg/nm (dpa, AP, AFP Reuters)
