Lithuanians are voting today in the first round of parliamentary elections that could lead to the removal of the ruling centre-right coalition, a new coalition expected to be made up of the opposition Social Democrats and smaller centre-left parties.
Despite the country's economic successes, strict covid measures and the entry of migrants from the direction of Belarus cast a shadow over the conservative government of Prime Minister Ingrid Šimonita, who came to power in 2020.
Although Lithuania records annual double-digit wage growth and has one of the lowest inflation rates of the 27 EU countries, many voters do not seem impressed, the AP agency writes.
"There is great disappointment and dissatisfaction among voters. It is related to numerous crises and shocks and cannot be compensated by economic factors such as a positive change in purchasing power," said political analyst at Vilnius University Rima Urbonaite.
The prime minister has been criticized for strict measures during the pandemic and many have complained that the government did not do enough to help companies while the country was under lockdown. Others say thousands of people did not have adequate access to health services.
Shimonite's predecessor was also criticized for his response to the arrival of migrants via Belarus. Lithuania has accused its eastern neighbor, as well as Russia, of organizing the influx of people, mostly from Africa and the Middle East.
According to a recent Vilmorus poll, the Social Democratic Party, led by Vilija Blikevičiute, the former Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, will win with twice as many votes as Prime Minister Šimonita's Homeland Union.
Nemuno Aušra, the newly registered party of right-wing politician Remigius Žemaitatis, will be among them. Žemaititis was impeached earlier this year for anti-Semitic statements.
However, according to the survey, no party will win more than 20 percent of the vote, so it will be necessary to form post-election coalitions.
The Social Democrats have ruled out an alliance with Žemaitatis' party, which means that it is likely that three or four parties, probably smaller groups representing the political center, will be needed to form a governing coalition.
Analysts say a shift to the left would not bring significant changes to the foreign policy of Lithuania, which also borders the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad to the west.
However, the vote comes at a time when Russia's war in Ukraine is fueling greater fears about Moscow's intentions, particularly in the strategically important Baltic region.
Analysts say that foreign policy in the country is mostly determined by the president. Earlier this year, President Gitanas Nausede defeated the Simonites in the presidential election and won a second five-year term.
In 2020, Šimonite led her Homeland Union to victory in the parliamentary elections. Later, it formed a coalition with two liberal parties, the Freedom Party and the Liberal Movement.
About 2,4 million people can elect 141 members of the parliament, or Seimas, for a four-year term. Voting takes place in two rounds.
In the first round of elections, about half of the 141 seats in the parliament will be determined through proportional voting, and the remaining seats will be determined in the second round, on October 27.
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