China’s Foreign Ministry has condemned Lithuania’s decision to expel three Chinese diplomats, Reuters reports. The ministry asserted that Lithuania had failed to provide a reason for the expulsions. China reserved the right to take countermeasures, the ministry said. Earlier, Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry announced that the expulsions were due to violations of the Vienna Convention on…
The leader of Lithuania’s far-right Dawn of Nemunas party, Remigijus Zemaitaitis, announced that his party was likely to nominate Virginijus Kulikauskas, former head of the Lithuanian Prison Service, to the position of justice minister, ELTA reports. Earlier, former justice minister, lawyer Gintautas Bartkus declined the party’s nomination to the ministerial post. Meanwhile, President Gitanas Nauseda…
Trucks crossing Lithuania’s borders with Belarus and Russia will have to register in advance as of 1 December 2024, BNS reports. Drivers of heavy duty vehicles must now pre-register on the online booking system (EVIS) to cross the border through the remaining three checkpoints on the borders with Belarus and Russia’s Kaliningrad region. The new…
Lithuania has introduced stricter rules on residence permit applications through external service providers as of 1 December 2024, BNS reports. From now on, only citizens of countries with an office of the external service provider can use their services. Citizens of other countries can apply for temporary residency permits at an office in another country…
Two of the biggest groups in the European Parliament, the European People’s Party (EPP) and Renew Europe, have urged the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP) and the Union of Democrats for Lithuania (DSVL) to exclude the far-right Dawn of Nemunas party from their incoming coalition government, LRT reports. EPP and Renew Europe warned that granting…
Lithuania’s main opposition party, the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania (LSDP), scored a big victory after the second round of parliamentary elections on 27 October 2024, LRT reports. Altogether eight parties and two independent candidates won seats in the 141-member parliament, the Seimas. LSDP managed to win as many as 52 seats, which is up…
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…