The Social Democratic Party won the most seats in the first round of voting two weeks ago, and were readying to take power in a shift that is expected to leave intact the NATO and EU member's strong support for Ukraine. The party already secured 20 seats in the 141-seat parliament, and another 35 of its candidates have advanced to the runoffs in the single-member constituencies. The Baltic state, home to 2.
8 million people, has been warily observing Russia, fearing it could be targeted if Moscow succeeds in Ukraine. All major parties running in the elections are agreed on maintaining NATO and EU member's strong support for Ukraine, and on either sustaining or increasing defense spending. "The disputes in this election are concentrated on domestic policy issues, but on foreign policy we see virtually no difference" between parties, political analyst Rima Urbonaite told AFP.
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. On national defense, Lithuania is also among the top NATO spenders, allocating 3.
2 percent of its GDP to defense this year, well above the NATO target of two percent. The Social Democratic Party, which last led the government from 2012 to 2016, eyes a three-party coalition with the Democratic Union "In the Name of Lithuania" and the Lithuanian Popular Peasants' Union. Together, they hope to secure 80 seats, and Social Democ.