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…
Most Lithuanians favour US Vice President Kamala Harris in the US presidential elections, according to a Norstat poll for 15min, BNS reports. The survey showed that 66% of Lithuanians favoured Harris, while 12% of respondents preferred former president Donald Trump. Another 22% had no opinion or saw no difference between the two candidates for Lithuania….
Lithuania’s Central Electoral Commission (VRK) has completed registration for the parliamentary elections in October 2024, BNS reports. Altogether 1,740 candidates will run for 141 seats in the parliament, the Seimas. Half of the MPs will be elected through party lists that clear the 5% threshold. Altogether 15 party lists have been registered. In addition, 700…
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, chairman of the ruling Homeland Union (TS-LKD), called on President Gitanas Nauseda to set up a “cordon sanitaire” to prevent radical political forces from coming to power after the parliamentary elections in October 2024, BNS reports. Speaking in an interview with Ziniu Radijas, Landsbergis warned that pandering to radical political…
The victory of Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in regional elections was part of a European trend, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said, BNS reports. He attributed AfD’s success to the coronavirus pandemic, the war in Ukraine, inflation, Russian disinformation, and other factors, and “maybe sometimes a lack of strategic leadership.” Landsbergis noted…
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda called for limiting the number of immigrants entering the country, BNS reports. Speaking on LRT, Nauseda argued that “uncontrolled immigration was, first and foremost, a national security issue.” Given the “demographic hole” that Lithuania faces, failure to control immigration could lead to “outcomes none of us want,” Nauseda stated. He insisted…
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) is investigating former Lithuanian MEP Viktor Uspaskich (Viktoras Uspasckichas) for possible fraud, LRT reports. EPPO suspects Uspaskich, founder and leader of the opposition Labour Party, of hiring fake assistants to misappropriate more than EUR 500,000 from the European Parliament. In April 2024, police searched the offices of the Labour…