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New direction for Lithuania

October 29, 2012

The center-right coalition responsible for tough austerity cuts has been voted from power in Lithuania, as the electorate opted for a change of pace in Sunday's second round of parliamentary elections.

https://p.dw.com/p/16YXl
A man casts his ballot at a polling station in Vilnius, Lithuania on October 28, 2012. Lithuania's leftwing and populist opposition parties beat the Conservatives of Prime Minister Kubilius, who pushed through draconian spending cuts as the nation of three million was battered by one of the world's deepest recessions in the first round of the Baltic state's parliamentary polls. AFP PHOTO / PETRAS MALUKAS (Photo credit should read PETRAS MALUKAS/AFP/Getty Images)
Litauen WahlenImage: AFP/Getty Images

With nearly all results in from Sunday's poll, the Social Democrats and their allies have confirmed their majority in parliament. This was expected after the initial round of voting two weeks ago.

The Social Democrats will likely join with the Labor Party and the Paksas Party to form a center-left coalition. The three parties won 79 of 141 seats in Lithuania's parliament.

Sunday's vote wasn't all bad for the defeated Homeland Union party, however. Their poll numbers improved in comparison to the first round of voting, and they won 32 seats in parliament.

"The results are not bad for us," said outgoing Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius. "We are among the leading parties in parliament."

Algirdas Butkevicius, leader of the Social Democrats, is seen as a possible candidate for the country's next prime minister.

Turnout for the election was at 35 percent, well below the 53 percent participation rate for the first round.

mz/lw (Reuters, AFP)