Lithuania's centre-left opposition won a clear victory in Sunday's parliamentary election, preliminary results showed, after a campaign dominated by concerns about the cost of living and social inequality. The Social Democratic Party came first with 52 seats in the 141-seat parliament and is now hoping to build a coalition. The ruling conservative party finished a distant second with 28 seats, the results showed.
Social Democrat leader Vilija Blinkeviciute expressed gratitude as the returns were announced. "The results of the elections showed that the people of Lithuania..
. want change, they need a completely different government," she said. Any power shift is expected to leave intact the NATO and EU member's strong support for Ukraine amid security concerns about neighbouring Russia.
Many of Lithuania's 2.8 million people fear the Baltic state could be targeted if Moscow succeeds in Ukraine. According to the Germany-based Kiel Institute, Lithuania ranks among the top three countries globally in terms of aid for Ukraine in relation to the size of its economy, at 1.
64 percent. Lithuania is also among the top NATO spenders, allocating 3.2 percent of its GDP to defence this year, well above the NATO target of two percent.
The Social Democratic Party, which last led the government from 2012 to 2016, is now eying a three-party coalition with the Union of Democrats "For Lithuania" and the Lithuanian Popular Peasants' Union. If they succeed, Blinkeviciute is expected to leave her ro.