Lithuania Farmers' Party in Shock Victory
Single-Member Constituencies After 2nd Round. Source: Wikipedia Commons
The centrist Lithuanian Peasants and Green Union Party (LPGU) claimed a surprise victory on October 23 in the country’s parliamentary elections. According to AFP, LPGU won 54 of the 141 seats. The conservative Homeland Union Party won 31 seats, and the ruling Social Democratic Party was a distant third with only 17 seats. The run-off election followed a first round of voting earlier that month. In the first round, Homeland Union came first, winning 20 seats, followed by LPGU, who secured 19 seats. The ruling Social Democratic Party was third with 13 seats.
Constituencies where no candidate obtained an absolute majority saw the top two contestants go head-to-head in a second round on October 23. In Lithuania, 71 Members of Parliament (MPs) are elected by majority vote. The remaining 70 seats are allocated proportionally according to party lists.
The win is nothing short of historic. No single party has enjoyed a larger victory in 20 years, and LPGU has only ever held one seat in parliament. “People really want new faces in politics”, explained Ramunas Vilpisauskas, Director of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius, adding that he “didn’t expect it.”
Of the 2.5 million eligible voters, only 38 percent cast their vote in this year’s elections. This reflects negative popular sentiment towards politics in the largest Baltic state. However, the shock triumph could be a catalyst for change.
“I don't know an area where the current government policy does not need to be changed, except in foreign policy, where we need to have a continuation,” said Ramunas Karbauskis, the billionaire businessman at the head of LPGU.
Lithuania has faced a host of problems in recent years. Economic growth has been sluggish, oscillating between a meager 2-3 percent annually. In January 2015, it adopted the Euro, which caused a sharp rise in prices. Meanwhile, pensions and wages have stagnated.
Mass emigration was a key election topic. Since the country joined the European Union (EU) in 2004, around 370,000 people have left the country, seeking higher wages abroad. Prime ministerial candidate for LPGU, Saulius Skvernelis, said he wants to increase wages and create housing incentives for workers to stay in Lithuania.
LPGU will look to take a more active role in the economy. It plans to impose a state monopoly on alcohol sales and create a state-owned bank to compete with commercial ones.
However, before tackling these issues, the party needs to form a coalition. LPGU said it would negotiate with all parties. Karbauskis emitted the idea of forming a “grand coalition” to create a government of technocrats focused on stimulating economic growth. However, Homeland Union said it would not work with the Social Democrats, which could lead to a deadlock.
“We will forge a rational coalition government and we'll chose people who want to bring about changes,” Skvernelis announced. Change is a recurring theme in LPGU’s rhetoric. Skvernelis himself is an atypical character. The 46-year-old former national police chief is known and admired for fighting corruption. With only a brief political history as Minister of the Interior, he is a refreshing face in Lithuania’s political landscape.
Provided negotiations are fruitful, a new government is expected to take over in early December. Until then, Lithuanians can only hope that the major change they voted for will materialize.