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 Estonian government has dropped plans to impose a tax on sugary beverages, Prime Minister Kristen Michal announced, ERR reports. Health Minister Riina Sikkut said that she proposed withdrawing the proposal, noting that the coalition agreement only allowed new taxes to finance defence and security needs. Michal expressed hope that opinions on the matter would…
Lithuania’s Court of Appeal has rejected the appeal of Jonava district mayor Mindaugas Sinkevicius against a lower court ruling that found him guilty of abuse of office, forgery of documents, and misappropriation of municipal funds, BNS reports. He was accused of having the local council pay for some of his personal expenses over 2019-2023. The…
Lithuania is seeking continuous presence of US combat troops in the country, regardless of the outcome of the US presidential election, President Gitanas Nauseda stated, BNS reports. Speaking after visiting US troops at the Pabrade training area near Vilnius, Nauseda noted that the base would soon be able to accommodate about 1,000 US troops. At…
Latvia’s Central Election Commission (CVK) has proposed introducing new paper ballots for the municipal elections in summer 2025, LSM reports. The State Regional Development Agency (VRAA), which is in charge of the country’s voting system, notes that the existing paper ballots can be confusing for voters. CVK said that the new ballots would be simpler…
Lithuania’s Foreign Minister, Gabrielius Landsbergis, criticised President Gitanas Nauseda for delaying a decision to end investment protection treaties with Russia and Belarus, BNS reports. Landsbergis noted that the government had proposed revoking the treaties back in May 2024. He insisted that Nauseda would have had enough time to refer the issue to the parliament, the…
Some talks have started on a possible candidate for Estonia’s next president in 2026, ERR reports. The president is elected by the Estonian parliament, the Riigikogu, provided an agreement is reached by a two-thirds majority of MPs. The current three-party ruling coalition is two seats short of the 68 votes needed in the 101-seat parliament….
Some internet domains used by Russia to meddle in the upcoming US presidential elections were purchased using the Lithuanian cryptocurrency payment platform, CoinGate, according to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), BNS reports. CoinGate is owned by Vilnius-based Decentralized (former Virtualios Valiutos), which established a subsidiary, CoinGate, in the US in 2021. Some of…