Parliamentary elections were held in

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

on 12 October 2008, with a second round on 26 October in the constituencies where no candidate won a majority in the first round of voting. All 141 seats in the

Seimas The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublikos Seimas), or simply the Seimas (), is the unicameral parliament of Lithuania. The Seimas constitutes the legislative branch of government in Lithuania, enacting laws and amendmen ...

were up for election; 71 in single-seat constituencies elected by

majority vote A majority, also called a simple majority or absolute majority to distinguish it from related terms, is more than half of the total.Dictionary definitions of ''majority'' aMerriam-Webster proportional representation Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...

. Together with the elections, a

referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...

on extending the operation of

Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant The Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant ( lt, Ignalinos atominė elektrinė, IAE) is a decommissioned two-unit RBMK-1500 nuclear power station in Visaginas Municipality, Lithuania. It was named after the nearby city of Ignalina. Due to the plant's sim ...

was held. The elections were won by a

centre-right Centre-right politics lean to the Right-wing politics, right of the Left–right politics, political spectrum, but are closer to the Centrism, centre. From the 1780s to the 1880s, there was a shift in the Western world of social class structure a ...

coalition, led by

Andrius Kubilius Andrius Kubilius (born 8 December 1956) is a Lithuanian politician who has been serving as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) since 2019. He served as Prime Minister of Lithuania from 1999 to 2000 and again from 2008 to 2012.LR Vyriausio ...

of the

Homeland Union The Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats ( lt, Tėvynės sąjunga Lietuvos krikščionys demokratai, TS–LKD), also known colloquially simply as the Conservatives, is a centre-right political party in Lithuania. It has 18,000 mem ...

. Kubilius was appointed the

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

of a

coalition government A coalition government is a form of government in which political parties cooperate to form a government. The usual reason for such an arrangement is that no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an election, an atypical outcome in ...

together with

National Resurrection Party National Resurrection Party ( lt, Tautos prisikėlimo partija; sometimes translated as ''Rising Nation Party'' or ''National Revival Party'') was a centre-right political party in Lithuania. History Founded in 2008. The party was headed by a form ...

Liberal and Centre Union The Liberal and Centre Union ( lt, Liberalų ir centro sąjunga, LiCS) was a conservative-liberal political party in Lithuania active between 2003 and 2014. It was a member of the Liberal International and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats f ...

, and Liberal Movement. The coalition had 80 seats in the 141-member Tenth Seimas. The parties that were part of coalition governments in the outgoing parliament suffered in the elections, with

Social Democratic Party of Lithuania The Social Democratic Party of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos socialdemokratų partija, LSDP) is a centre-left and social democratic political party in Lithuania. Founded as an underground Marxist organization in 1896, it is the oldest extant party i ...

, Labour Party,

New Union (Social Liberals) The New Union (Social Liberals) ( lt, Naujoji sąjunga (socialliberalai), NS) was a Social liberalism, social-liberal list of political parties in Lithuania, political party in Lithuania. The NS was a member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democra ...

, Liberal and Centre Union and

Lithuanian Peasant Popular Union The Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union ( lt, Lietuvos valstiečių ir žaliųjų sąjunga, LVŽS)The party is also known as Lithuanian Peasant and Greens Union. is a green-conservative and agrarian political party in Lithuania led by Ram ...

all losing seats in the Seimas, although Social Democrats increased their seat tally compared to the previous elections. The elections were the first parliamentary elections since 1990 where no changes to the electoral law were implemented prior to the election, with the electoral system used for the 2004 elections being maintained.

Background

The 2004 parliamentary elections were held on 10 October 2004, with the run-off on 24 October. The Labour Party ended up as the largest party in the parliament, with 39 seats in the 141-member Ninth Seimas. The joint list consisting of the

(20 seats) and

(11 seats) finished as runners-up, but the Social Democrats managed to form a coalition government with their leader,

Algirdas Brazauskas Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas (, 1932 – 2010) was the first President (fourth overall) of a newly re-independent post-Soviet Lithuania from 1993 to 1998 and Prime Minister from 2001 to 2006. He also served as head of the Communist Party of Li ...

, as the

. The government also included the New Union, the Labour Party and the Peasants and New Democratic Party Union. The coalition did not last the full term – New Union and Labour Party left it in spring, 2006, bringing down the government of Brazauskas, who resigned and retired from politics.

Gediminas Kirkilas Gediminas Kirkilas (, born 30 August 1951) is a Lithuanian politician who was Prime Minister of Lithuania from 2006 to 2008. Life and career Kirkilas was born in Vilnius in 1951. After returning from mandatory military service, from 1972 to 197 ...

became the new Prime Minister and the coalition (this time composed only by Social Democrats and Lithuanian Popular Peasants Union) was joined by the Civic Democratic Party (which had splintered from the Labour Party earlier in the year) and the

. The new coalition governed in minority, with the support from opposition parties. New Union rejoined the coalition in January 2008. At the end of the term, Social Democrats were the largest parliamentary group with 38 members. In 2007 Lithuanian municipal election

won 17.1 per cent of the vote and thus it became the most supported party in Lithuania since 1997 Lithuanian municipal election. Homeland Union and the

Order and Justice Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

were seen as frontrunners for future parliamentary election.

Electoral system

All seats in the 141-member Seimas were up for election in

parallel voting Parallel voting is a type of mixed electoral system in which representatives are voted into a single chamber using two or more different systems, most often first-past-the-post voting (FPTP) with party-list proportional representation (PR). It is ...

, with 71 members elected in single-seat

constituencies An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other polity ...

and 70 members elected by

proportional representation Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...

in a single nationwide constituency. Voting in the elections was open to all citizens of Lithuania who are at least 18-years-old. The first round took place on 12 October 2008. Members of the Seimas in the 71 single-seat constituencies were elected by a majority vote, with a run-off held on 26 October. The remaining 70 seats were allocated to the participating political parties using the

largest remainder method The largest remainder method (also known as Hare–Niemeyer method, Hamilton method or as Vinton's method) is one way of allocating seats proportionally for representative assemblies with party list voting systems. It contrasts with various h ...

, with a 5% threshold (7% for multi-party lists) to enter the parliament. Candidates took the seats allocated to their parties based on the preference lists submitted before the elections and adjusted by preference votes given by the voters. To be eligible for election, candidates had to be at least 25-years-old on the election day, not under allegiance to a foreign state and permanently resident in Lithuania. Persons serving or due to serve a sentence imposed by the court 65 days before the elections were not eligible. Also, judges, citizens performing military service, and servicemen of professional military service and officials of statutory institutions and establishments could not stand for election.

Politicians not standing

Gintautas Mikolaitis Gintautas Mikolaitis (born December 19, 1959) is a Lithuanian engineer and politician, member of the Seimas (Lithuanian parliament) during the 2000–2004, 2004–2008breakneck economic growth, the GDP was expected to shrink the following year. Inflation in 2006 exceeded the benchmark levels that would have allowed the country to adopt

euro The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...

as a currency and continued rising, exceeding 12% in 2008. Economy, inflation and the adoption of the euro were high on the campaign agenda. In addition, energy security featured prominently, with the

on continued operation of

Ignalina nuclear power plant The Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant ( lt, Ignalinos atominė elektrinė, IAE) is a decommissioned two-unit RBMK-1500 nuclear power station in Visaginas Municipality, Lithuania. It was named after the nearby city of Ignalina. Due to the plant's sim ...

was to take place with the elections. Pre-election polls suggested that five parties would reach the 5% vote threshold to win proportionally-allocated seats in the Seimas:

, Labour Party,

and

. Political advertisements on TV were banned before the elections, to reduce the influence of money in the elections, but contributing to a dull election campaign. Homeland Union was hoping to return to power for the first time since 2000. Its leader

promised that his government would cut income taxes (paid for by introducing a

property tax A property tax or millage rate is an ad valorem tax on the value of a property.In the OECD classification scheme, tax on property includes "taxes on immovable property or net wealth, taxes on the change of ownership of property through inheri ...

), review

VAT A value-added tax (VAT), known in some countries as a goods and services tax (GST), is a type of tax that is assessed incrementally. It is levied on the price of a product or service at each stage of production, distribution, or sale to the en ...

exemptions and introduce euro at an unspecified time.

was critical of the decision to hold a referendum regarding the Ignalina power plant, but promised to negotiate with the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body o ...

to postpone its closure.

performed well in the municipal elections in 2007 and was hoping to further expand its electorate by actively campaigning on

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...

. Order and Justice, led by former president

Rolandas Paksas Rolandas Paksas (; born 10 June 1956) is a Lithuanian politician who was the sixth President of Lithuania from 2003 to 2004. He was previously Prime Minister of Lithuania in 1999 and again from 2000 to 2001, and he also served as Mayor of Vilniu ...

, campaigned for change, arguing that there was little difference between the two traditional largest parties, Homeland Union and Social Democrats. Paksas promised to hold a referendum whether to adopt the euro and to maintain a pragmatic relationship with Russia. The Labour Party had experienced upheaval since an investigation in its party finances, and its leader

Viktor Uspaskich Viktor Uspaskich (russian: Виктор Викторович Успасских, lt, Viktoras Uspaskichas; born 24 July 1959) is a Russian-born Lithuanian entrepreneur and politician. Early life He was born in the village of Urdoma, Arkhangel ...

had been defeated in a bi-election. Labour campaigned on the platform of protecting small and medium enterprises in Lithuania. The party relied on its support in small towns of Lithuania. The Social Democrats, having led the government since 2001, were hoping to continue its run, with Prime Minister Gediminas Kirkilas stating that "the new government cannot be formed without the Social Democrats". As part of the campaign, he once again pledged to introduce progressive taxation in Lithuania and aim to introduce the euro between 2010 and 2012. On the other hand, the party was criticized for failing to tackle important reforms during its time in power and for failing to control budget deficits in times of economic growth. Other major contenders in the elections were the Lithuanian Peasant Popular Union, which had formed part of the government since 2004, the Liberal Movement, which enjoyed substantial support among students and businessmen, and the

, led by former mayor of Vilnius, Artūras Zuokas. Newly formed

, led by a businessman and a showman

Arūnas Valinskas Arūnas Valinskas (born 28 November 1966 in Lazdijai) is a Lithuanian showman, TV producer, TV show host and politician. As the leader of the National Resurrection Party, he was elected to the Seimas, Lithuanian parliament, in the 2008 Lith ...

rose to prominence shortly before the elections, with many media personalities among its ranks. In total, 1,583 candidates and 20 electoral lists were vying for seats in the elections.

Results

Aftermath

The elections were won by the Homeland Union, which won 45 of 141 seats and finished ahead of the field for the first time since the elections in 1996. The recently established National Resurrection Party finished second in the nationwide constituency (winning 13 out of 70 proportionally-allocated seats), surprising many analysts. Its success was attributed to protest votes against established political movements and the party's popularity among young people attracted to its celebrity members. However, the party performed with less success in the single-seat constituencies, winning only 3 additional seats. Government parties performed poorly, with New Union and Peasants Popular Union even failing to clear 5% threshold for proportionally-allocated seats. Social Democrats finished fourth in the nationwide constituency, but ended up with 25 seats (only behind Homeland Union) due to a stronger performance in single-member constituencies. Social Democratic Party's leader Gediminas Kirkilas decided not to stand for leadership election in 2009.

Government formation

Hours after the end of voting in the second round, the Homeland Union, the National Resurrection Party, the Liberal Movement and the Liberal and Centre Union signed a coalition agreement. The four parties had 80 of the 141 seats in the Tenth Seimas. On 27 November 2008, Andrius Kubilius was appointed the Prime Minister of the

. Arūnas Valinskas of the National Resurrection Party was elected as the Speaker of the Seimas.

References

External links

The Central Electoral Commission of the Republic of Lithuania
{{Lithuanian elections Parliamentary elections in Lithuania

Parliamentary election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...