Lithuania’s main opposition party, the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania (LSDP), hopes to form a new coalition government with two other opposition parties, the Union of Democrats for Lithuania (DSVL) and the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union (LVZS), LRT reports. The three parties won 33 out of 70 seats in the first round of parliamentary…
Six parties cleared the electoral threshold in the first round of elections to the Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas, on 13 October 2024, LRT reports. The first round saw altogether 70 MPs elected through party lists, including 18 for the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania (LSDP), 17 for Homeland Union, 14 for the Dawn of Nemunas,…
Lithuania’s main opposition party, the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania (LSDP), scored an expected win in the first round of elections to the country’s parliament, the Seimas, LRT reported. LSDP won 19.36% of votes, which was slightly higher than predicted in polls. The ruling conservative Homeland Union and the new far-right opposition party, Dawn of…
Lithuanians are voting in the first round of elections for the country’s parliament, the Seimas, LRT reports. Under the electoral system, a second round of voting in single-member constituencies where no candidate gets over 50% of votes will take place on 27 October 2024. Altogether 14 parties and 1 coalition of parties listed candidates for…
The Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas, has passed a resolution designating Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation, BNS reports. The Seimas is the first national parliament in the EU to declare IRGC a terrorist group. The resolution calls on the EU to add the IRGC to the union’s list of terrorist organisations…
The unemployment rate in the Baltic States was lowest in Latvia in August 2024, according to Eurostat data, LETA reports. Latvia’s unemployment rate stood at 7.0%, compared to 7.9% in both Estonia and Lithuania. Average unemployment in the EU stood at 5.9% and at 6.4% in the eurozone.
The Lithuanian government has asked the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate crimes against humanity committed by the Belarusian regime, LRT reports. The alleged crimes include forced deportations, persecution of opposition supporters, and other instances of cruel treatment, the Ministry of Justice stated. The ministry examined evidence provided by the Belarusian opposition and other sources….
Estonia ranks highest in the Baltic States on the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) Global Innovation Index, LSM reports. Estonia ranked 16th globally in 2024, which was unchanged from 2023. Lithuania’s ranking was 35th, which was down from 34th place a year earlier. Latvia ranked 42nd, which was down from 37th place in 2023. In…
Lithuanian authorities are investigating allegations that Russian opposition leader, businessman Leonid Nevzlin, was behind an attack against another exiled Russian opposition leader, Leonid Volkov, in Vilnius in March 2024, BNS reports. Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said that the allegations made by the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) were “serious,” but called on politicians to wait for the…
