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Lithuania
At stake: Diet
Background
Lithuania seceded from the Soviet Union in 1991, along with Estonia
and Latvia. The largest of the three Baltic states, Lithuania became a
member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in March 2004,
and officially joined the European Union (EU) on May 1, 2004.
President Valdas Adamkus oversaw Lithuania’s successful integration with the international community at large.
On Jan. 3, 2003 Rolandas Paksas of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) defeated Adamkus with 54.9 per cent of the vote in a run-off. Paksas would then become the key player in Lithuania’s first major political crisis after reaching independence.
Paksas was accused of having links with Russian mobsters and an investigation into his dealings was ordered. In March 2004, after months of instability and allegations of wrongdoing, a parliamentary commission deemed Paksas a threat to national security, for leaking sensitive information to third parties, mainly Russian businessman Yuri Borisov, who—according to police—had links to organized crime.
The special investigation also stated that some senior officials might have manipulated the privatization of various companies. On Mar. 31, 2004, the Constitutional Court ruled that Paksas violated the law by allowing Borisov to become a Lithuanian citizen.
After the Court’s ruling, Lithuania’s legislature or Diet voted to remove the 47-year-old Paksas from his post after just 14 months in office, approving impeachment procedures in three different matters: leaking sensitive information, offering citizenship to Borisov and the privatization controversy. In April 2004, Paksas was removed from office.
In June 2004, Valdas Adamkus was again elected president in an early ballot. He defeated former prime minister Kazimiera Prunskiene by a small margin. On Jul. 14, Adamkus re-appointed prime minister Algirdas Brazauskas.
Click here for Lithuania’s 2004 Presidential Election Tracker
The October 2004 election to Lithuania’s Diet was marked by a corruption scandal involving several lawmakers.
In July, three Diet members were the focus of wrongdoing allegations. Vytenis Andriukaitis of the Lithuanian Social-Democratic Party (LSDP), Vytautas Kvietkauskas of the New Union - Social-Liberals (NS), and Arvydas Vidziunas of the Homeland Union - Conservatives of Lithuania (TS-LK) were suspended from their posts by the Electoral Commission in late July.
New electoral laws were approved just two months before the legislative ballot. The Diet approved a proposal to stage a two-round parliamentary election. The new law also established that single-seat constituencies must be won by a candidate who garners half of all cast ballots in the first round, if turnout is higher than 40 per cent. If this is not the case, a contender can still claim victory with the support of more than half of all actual voters, provided the number is higher than 20 per cent of all registered voters in the constituency. If neither of these stipulations occurs, a run-off would take place two weeks later.
Final results from the proportional representation election put the Labour Party in first place with 28.46 per cent of all cast ballots and 22 lawmakers, followed by the Algirdas Brazauskas/Arturas Paulauskas "Working for Lithuania" coalition of Social Democrats and Social Liberals with 20.65 per cent and 16 legislators.
Only four of 71 single-seat constituencies were decided. A run-off was held on Oct. 24. Final results gave a loose alliance encompassing the Homeland Union - Conservatives of Lithuania (TS-LK) and the Liberal and Centre Union (LLS-LCS) 43 seats, followed by the Labour Party with 39 lawmakers and the ruling coalition with 31 seats.
On Oct. 28, the Brazauskas/Paulauskas coalition signed an agreement with Uspaskikh’s Labour Party to begin assembling the new cabinet. Brazauskas—who had served as prime minister since 2001—remained in his post.
Click here for Lithuania’s 2004 Diet Election Tracker
In 2006, Labour—one of the largest parties in the ruling coalition—quit the government. Prime Minister Brazauskas and his entire cabinet resigned on Mar. 31, 2006.
Minister of Finance Zigmantas Balcytis was appointed as caretaker prime minister, but lawmakers did not ratify his mandate. He was replaced by Gediminas Kirkilas on Jul. 4, 2006. Kirkilas is a former member of the Communist Party, former defence minister and long-time member of Lithuania’s Diet. He is currently a member of the Lithuanian Social-Democratic Party (LSDP)
2008 Diet Election
The legislative election is scheduled for Oct. 12.
In early April, Lithuania’s statistics office said that inflation reached an annual rate of 11.3 percent in March, the highest in 11 years.
In mid-April, Lithuanian president Valdas Adamkus said in his state of the nation address that Lithuania is going through and institutional crisis and said the public lacks trust in the government. The president admitted that it has failed to implement reforms related to the courts, family policy, and university education
Rasa Junkeviciene, deputy chairman of the opposition Homeland Union - Conservatives of Lithuania (TS-LK) called for the prime minister’s resignation after the state of the nation speech, saying, "If I were the prime minister, after such state of the nation I would either resign or come to the Seimas [the Diet] to check the trust in a secret ballot. This should be the practice in a democratic country because, obviously, the president was very critical of the situation in Lithuania—not only of the past year but also of the past period."
On Apr. 29, Lithuania’s government blocked the signing of a cooperation agreement between the European Union (EU) and Russia over fears that the pact does not prevent Russia from using its energy industry against former Soviet republics for political purposes. Russia and Lithuania have tense relations over energy issues.
On May 8, Lithuanian prime minister Gediminas Kirkilas denied claims by the opposition saying that Lithuania is facing an economic crisis, saying, "Our economy is currently growing at a rather fast rate. We do not have final data for the first quarter yet, but we anticipate a similar growth rate to that we had last year. Inflation is a problem not only for Lithuania and the European Union, it is a global problem. (…) There will be no economic recession in Lithuania. Our industry and our businesses operate really efficiently. There are certain challenges, but I would not call that a crisis. The opposition always sees a crisis. Most probably, there is a crisis in their heads."
On May 8, Lithuania and Latvia ratified the new common body of law for the EU, known as the Lisbon Treaty.
The first round of the election took place on Oct. 12, with a voter
turnout of 48.5 per cent—a higher number than originally predicted and
slightly better than the 2004 turnout of 47 per cent.
In addition to choosing the country’s 141-member parliament, the
election also featured a non-binding referendum to determine whether or
not to continue the operation of the Ignalina NPP—a Soviet-era nuclear
reactor similar to the one in Chernobyl. Voters were asked the
following question: “Do you approve of the continued use of the
Ignalina plant until a new one can be built?”
Lithuanian economy minister Vytas Navickas had originally said that the
Baltic nation would extend the use of the power plant until 2012. Under
pressure from other European countries, Lithuania decommissioned the
plant’s first power-generating unit in 2004 and pledged to shut down
the second one by late 2009.
There is widespread concern that the decision—made in order to meet EU
nuclear safety requirements—will once again lead to a dependency of the
Lithuanian energy sector on Russian natural gas supplies. The Central
Election Commission (CEC) said the referendum may be deemed invalid,
after less than 50 per cent of all voters took part.
Following the vote, European Commission president Jose Manuel Durao
Barroso reinforced the promise to shut down the plant, saying, “There
is a commitment, a legal commitment, arising out of the accession
treaty that is not at the discretion of either Lithuania or the
Commission. This is a commitment that must be honoured as we must never
compromise on safety. So I of course, as guardian of the treaty at the
Commission can only say that the treaties have to be respected.”
Lithuanian prime minister Gediminas Kirkilas reacted by saying that
because the plant currently provides 70 per cent of the country’s
energy needs, the public would have to face sharp energy rises as a
result of its closure. A planned replacement for the existing plant—to
be built in conjunction with Estonia, Latvia and Poland—is unlikely to
be finished before 2015.
Preliminary tallies only included the party list vote, which covers 70
of the 141 seats in the legislature. The other 71 seats will be decided
in individual run-offs in single-seat constituencies. The second round
will take place on Oct. 26.
Initial results released by the CEC show the right-wing, conservative
Homeland Union - Lithuanian Christian Democrats taking 19.69 per cent
of the vote, and 18 of the 70 seats at stake. Homeland Union leader
Andrius Kubilius—who served as prime minister from November 1999 to
November 2000—said that the results indicated that Lithuanians wanted
change, adding, “We are ready to take responsibility and expect the
president’s offer to start forming a new cabinet.”
The National Revival Party was second with 15.09 per cent of the vote
and 13 mandates, while the Order and Justice party—led by ex-president
Rolandas Paksas—finished third with 12.69 per cent. Incumbent prime
minister Kirkilas and his Social Democratic Party were fourth, with
11.73 per cent of the total votes. The coalition of the Labour Party
and Youth, led by Viktor Uspaskich, was fifth with nine per cent.
Second
round voting took place on Oct. 26. Final results gave the Homeland
Union - Lithuanian Christian Democrats 44 seats, followed by the Social
Democratic Party of Lithuania with 26 mandates.
Immediately following the vote, the Homeland Union - Lithuanian
Christian Democrats signed a deal with three smaller centre-right
parties—the Liberals’ Movement of the Republic of Lithuania, the
National Revival Party, and the Liberal and Centre Union—to assemble a
coalition government. Combined, the four parties have 80 seats between
them, enough for a working majority in the country’s 141-member
parliament.
On Oct. 28, Kubilius commented on the coalition talks, saying, “I hope
the clear outlines of the coalition will take shape over coming days.”
National Revival Party leader Arunas Valinskas declared: “We hope this
strong coalition will be in office for the next four years.”
In addition to holding the prime minister’s post, Kubilius leader also
declared a wish for his party to control the finance, economy,
agriculture, defence and foreign ministries. Kubilius also introduced a
proposal to deal with the effects of the global recession and the
country’s ailing economy, saying, “It will be called something like a
crisis prevention plan given our economic and financial situation where
we see quite a lot of problems with this year’s and next year’s budget.
That will be the main priority.”
A new administration could be formed by the end of November. Since 1991, Lithuania has had 14 different governments.
Outgoing prime minister Gediminas Kirkilas conceded defeat and reacted
to the coalition talks, stating, “The right has taken the initiative.
But if they can’t agree, then we’ll see.” The prime minister added that
his centre-left Social Democratic Party of Lithuania would provide for
a “firm but constructive opposition.”
On Nov. 27, the Diet ratified the nomination of Kubilius as head of government in an 89-27 vote.
On Dec. 9, Kubilius was sworn in as prime minister. The cabinet
features four centre-right parties: the Homeland Union - Lithuanian
Christian Democrats, the National Revival Party, the Liberals’ Movement
of the Republic of Lithuania, and the Liberal and Centre Union.
Political Players
President: Valdas Adamkus - LiCS
Prime minister: Andrius Kubilius - TS-LK
The president is elected to a five-year term by popular vote.
Legislative Branch: The Lietuvos Respublikos Seimas (Diet) has 141 members, elected to four-year terms; 71 members are elected in single-seat constituencies and 70 members are elected by proportional representation.
Results of Last Election:
President - Jun. 13 and Jun. 27, 2004
|
Jun. 13 |
Jun. 27 |
|
|
Valdas Adamkus - |
31.10% |
52.63% |
|
Kazimiera Prunskiene - |
21.27% |
47.37% |
|
Petras Austrevicius - |
19.31% |
-- |
|
Vilija Blinkeviciute - |
16.46% |
-- |
|
Ceslovas Jursenas - |
11.86% |
-- |
Diet - Oct. 12 to Oct. 26, 2008
|
Vote% |
Prop. |
Const. |
Total |
|
|
Homeland Union - Lithuanian Christian Democrats |
19.69% |
18 |
27 |
45 |
|
National Revival Party |
15.09% |
13 |
3 |
16 |
|
Order and Justice |
12.69% |
11 |
4 |
15 |
|
Social Democratic Party of Lithuania |
11.73% |
10 |
15 |
25 |
|
Coalition Labour Party + Youth |
9.00% |
8 |
2 |
10 |
|
Liberals’ Movement of the Republic of Lithuania |
5.72% |
5 |
6 |
11 |
|
Liberal and Centre Union |
5.34% |
5 |
3 |
8 |
|
Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania |
4.80% |
-- |
3 |
3 |
|
Lithuanian Peasant Popular Union |
3.74% |
-- |
3 |
3 |
|
New Union (Social Liberals) |
3.64% |
-- |
1 |
1 |
|
Fronto |
3.24% |
-- |
-- |
-- |
|
Young Lithuania |
1.75% |
-- |
-- |
-- |
|
Civic Democratic Party |
1.12% |
-- |
-- |
-- |
|
Union of the Russians of Lithuania |
0.92% |
-- |
-- |
-- |
|
Lithuanian Social Democratic Union |
0.86% |
-- |
-- |
-- |
|
Lithuanian Centre Party |
0.70% |
-- |
-- |
-- |
| Independents |
-- |
-- | -- |
4 |