With most votes counted in the Lithuanian general election, the opposition Homeland Union — Lithuanian Christian Democrats party looks likely to be the largest single party in the next parliament.
Provisional results released by the Central Election Commission show the conservative Homeland Union took 17.87 percent of the vote in the portion of the vote run under proportional representation (PR) rules, giving it 17 of the 70 parliamentary seats decided in this manner.
Voter turnout was better than predicted at around 48 percent.
The performance of the election so far came from the second-placed Rising Nation Party with 14.88 percent of the vote and 14 seats from the PR vote.
Known as the “Showbiz Party” since it is led by television presenter Arunas Valinskas and has received well-publicized support from his friends in the entertainment industry, Rising Nation was only recently founded and something of an unknown quantity.
That lack of a track record seems to have attracted voters disillusioned with the established parties and instantly turns Rising Nation into a crucial new political force that could hold the balance of power when negotiations about possible coalitions get underway in coming days.
Third place in the PR vote went to the Order and Justice party of former president Rolandas Paksas with 13.4 percent of the vote, completing the next step in a notable comeback since becoming the first Eastern European president ever to be impeached in 2004 over claims he had given away state secrets.
The Social Democratic party of Prime Minister Gediminas Kirkilas trailed in fourth with 12.20 percent and 12 members of parliament.
Andrius Kubilius, leader of the Homeland Union, said: “We’re feeling good, but not celebrating yet because in our experience it’s only halfway down the road.”
“We hope that during the second part voters will decide the same way about our reform plans because Lithuania really needs it,” he said.
Kubilius was referring to a second round of voting to take place within the next two weeks which will decide the outcome in 71 individual constituencies after Sunday’s vote failed to deliver a clear result.
Only after the second round is completed will the shape of the next Lithuanian administration be clear.
However, the populist leaning of the Rising Nation Party could easily lead to a scenario in which the Homeland Union finds itself the largest party but remains in opposition.
Four people jailed in the landmark Hong Kong national security trial of "47 democrats" accused of conspiracy to commit subversion were freed today after more than four years behind bars, the second group to be released in a month. Among those freed was long-time political and LGBTQ activist Jimmy Sham (岑子杰), who also led one of Hong Kong’s largest pro-democracy groups, the Civil Human Rights Front, which disbanded in 2021. "Let me spend some time with my family," Sham said after arriving at his home in the Kowloon district of Jordan. "I don’t know how to plan ahead because, to me, it feels
Poland is set to hold a presidential runoff election today between two candidates offering starkly different visions for the country’s future. The winner would succeed Polish President Andrzej Duda, a conservative who is finishing his second and final term. The outcome would determine whether Poland embraces a nationalist populist trajectory or pivots more fully toward liberal, pro-European policies. An exit poll by Ipsos would be released when polls close today at 9pm local time, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points. Final results are expected tomorrow. Whoever wins can be expected to either help or hinder the
The collapse of the Swiss Birch glacier serves as a chilling warning of the escalating dangers faced by communities worldwide living under the shadow of fragile ice, particularly in Asia, experts said. Footage of the collapse on Wednesday showed a huge cloud of ice and rubble hurtling down the mountainside into the hamlet of Blatten. Swiss Development Cooperation disaster risk reduction adviser Ali Neumann said that while the role of climate change in the case of Blatten “still needs to be investigated,” the wider impacts were clear on the cryosphere — the part of the world covered by frozen water. “Climate change and
DENIAL: Musk said that the ‘New York Times was lying their ass off,’ after it reported he used so much drugs that he developed bladder problems Elon Musk on Saturday denied a report that he used ketamine and other drugs extensively last year on the US presidential campaign trail. The New York Times on Friday reported that the billionaire adviser to US President Donald Trump used so much ketamine, a powerful anesthetic, that he developed bladder problems. The newspaper said the world’s richest person also took ecstasy and mushrooms, and traveled with a pill box last year, adding that it was not known whether Musk also took drugs while heading the so-called US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) after Trump took power in January. In a
RSS