Belarusian exiles in Lithuania have protested against what they say is “growing hostility” towards Belarusians, BNS reports. Volha Karach, director of the Lithuania-based NGO, Nash Dom (Our House), said that Belarusians in Lithuania were “victims of their openness.” She noted that Lithuanian authorities now deemed past military service or links to state institutions in Belarus…
Lithuania’s Prime Minister, Ingrida Simonyte, expressed confidence in Defence Minister Arvydas Anusauskas, BNS reports. Earlier, Anusauskas was criticised by President Gitanas Nauseda and other politicians for allegedly disclosing restricted information about the purchase of tanks for the Lithuanian Armed Forces. Simonyte insisted that Anusauskas had not disclosed classified information but conceded that the minister should…
An overwhelming majority of Estonians oppose the introduction of a proposed car tax, according to a Norstat poll conducted in July 2023 for the Institute of Societal Studies (YI), ERR reports. The survey showed that 72% opposed and 21% supported the car tax. The remainder had no opinion. Altogether 80% of households polled had a…
Parties in Estonia’s ruling coalition government enjoyed the support of 44.4% of voters in June-July 2023, according to a new Norstat poll for the Institute of Societal Studies (YI), ERR reports. The survey showed that the Estonian Reform Party of Prime Minister Kaja Kallas had the support of 28% of voters, while the Social Democratic…
Replacing Latvia’s current coalition government was “unnecessary” and would cause chaos, Edgars Tavars, chairman of the United List’s parliamentary group, stated, LETA reports. At the same time, he insisted that expanding the government, as proposed by New Unity leader, Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins, was “legally impossible.” Tavars pointed out that Karins himself had said that…
Estonia’s Prime Minister, Kaja Kallas, suggested that local businessman Parvel Pruunsild, majority owner of Bigbank, made major donations to opposition parties in order to break up the first coalition government that Kallas headed, ERR reports. In response, Pruunsild’s lawyer sent a letter to Kallas, demanding that she retract her statement and issue an apology. Kallas…
Organisers of a campaign in Lithuania to call ordinary people in Russia and discuss the war in Ukraine has been suspended, following a public outcry, LRT reports. Locals organised to cover posters of the campaign in Vilnius. Tomas Balzekas, head of Lithuania’s 15min news website and news agency BNS, said that the “Call Russia” campaign…
Lithuania’s Constitutional Court ruled that legislation allowing the spelling of names of Lithuanian citizens in Latin-based non-Lithuanian characters in official documents does not violate the country’s Constitution, Baltic News Network reports. A group of 30 MPs, mostly from the opposition Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union (LVZS), had petitioned the court over the constitutionality of the…
Latvia is likely to have a new three-party coalition government consisting of Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins’s New Unity and two current opposition parties, the Union of Greens and Farmers (ZZS) and the Progressives, in August 2023, Ilona Berzina writes for Baltic News Network. Previously, Karins had assured that New Unity would not cooperate with ZZS…