Social Democrats Lead In Lithuanian Parliamentary Elections
- 14.10.2024, 8:39
The party is preparing to form a ruling coalition with the former Prime Minister.
The Lithuanian Social Democratic Party, led by MEP Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, is gaining the most votes in the parliamentary elections in Lithuania in multi-mandate districts. Blinkevičiūtė is preparing to form a ruling coalition with former Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis.
According to the preliminary results published by the Main Election Commission, the list of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party received 19.36% of the vote. The leader of the ruling coalition Homeland Union — Lithuanian Christian Democracy Party received 17.96% of the vote, the Dawn of Nemunas — 14.99%. In addition, the following events were held in the Seimas:
The democratic Union in the Name of Lithuania (9.24%),
Liberals' Movement (7.70%),
Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union (7.02%).
Deputy mandates based on the results of elections in multi-mandate districts will be distributed as follows:
Social Democratic Party of Lithuania — 18,
Homeland Union — Lithuanian Christian Democracy Party — 17,
Dawn of Nemunas — 14,
Union in the Name of Lithuania — 8,
Liberals' Movement — 7,
Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union — 6.
The turnout was 52.06%, which is more than in the previous parliamentary elections, when 47.16% of voters voted, but less than in the presidential elections in May this year, when 59.95% came to the polls.
It should be reminded that 70 Seimas members are elected in multi-mandate districts. Another 71 members are elected in single-mandate districts. The results on them will be known later, in a number of districts a second round will be required. Only after that the final composition of the new Seimas will be determined. On Monday morning, in the list of elected deputies published by the CEC, only eight single-mandate candidates passed to the parliament, among them the current Speaker Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, Prime Minister Igrida Šimonite, as well as the leader of tge Dawn of Nemunas Remigijus Žemaitaitis.
On Monday night, the leaders of the Social Democrats Vilija Blinkevičiūtė and the Union In the Name of Lithuania Saulius Skvernelis announced their intention to form a ruling coalition. To form it, they will need additional allies.
“We will look for the best solution that the people of Lithuania will need. Let's wait for the end of the elections, and then we will see with whom we further form coalitions," LRT quotes her.
Only after all members from single-member districts are determined, it will become clear with whom and how the coalition will be formed. So far, the Blinkevičiūtė and Skvernelis parties have promised to support each other's candidates in the second round.
Recall that Skvernelis headed the government during the previous term of office of the Seimas. He was the Prime Minister of Lithuania in 2016-2020. At that time, the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union had 54 seats in the parliament and headed the ruling coalition. In 2021, Skvernelis left it and created In the Name of Lithuania, his own party.