- Title: Lithuania holds run-off elections for Parliament
- Date: 23rd October 2016
- Summary: VILNIUS, LITHUANIA (OCTOBER 23, 2016) (REUTERS) ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** EXTERIOR OF HOUSE BEING USED AS POLLING STATION POSTER SHOWING CANDIDATES FOR PARLIAMENT BALLOT PAPERS LITHUANIA'S PRIME MINISTER ALGIRDAS BUTKEVICIUS POSING FOR MEDIA AS HE CASTS HIS VOTE COAT OF ARMS INSIDE POLLING BOOTH (SOUNDBITE) (Lithuanian) LITHUANIA'S PRIME MINISTER, ALGIRDAS BUTKEVICIUS, SAYING: "I think there is a 70 percent (probability) that we will be in opposition, in my personal opinion." JOURNALISTS WATCHING VARIOUS OF VOTERS AT POLLING STATION VARIOUS OF VOTERS PLACING BALLOTS IN BOX VOTING SLIPS LYING IN BALLOT BOX VOTERS PLACING BALLOTS IN BOX (SOUNDBITE) (Lithuanian) VOTER, AURIMAS KAPOCIUS, SAYING: "First of all (the government) has to renew itself. Those people and their values, which they have had for the last 20-30 years, they are no longer acceptable, they need to change. So we vote mainly for young people, such as ourselves." (SOUNDBITE) (Lithuanian) VOTER, MAGDA ANUZYTE, SAYING: "I hope (the new parliament) will bring good laws, good decisions, which will benefit the people." VOTERS AT POLLING STATION BALLOT PAPERS IN BALLOT BOX PLATINISKES VILLAGE, VILNIUS DISTRICT, LITHUANIA (OCTOBER 23, 2016) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF HOUSE, BEING USED AS POLLING STATION 17 ONE OF LEADERS OF PEASANTS AND GREENS, SAULIUS SKVERNELIS, POSING FOR MEDIA AS HE CASTS HIS VOTE BALLOT PAPERS IN BALLOT BOX
- Embargoed: 7th November 2016 12:36
- Keywords: Vilnius Lithuania election parliament poll vote Algirdas Butkevicius prime minister
- Location: VILNIUS, LITHUANIA
- City: VILNIUS, LITHUANIA
- Country: Lithuania
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA00155858W7
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Lithuanians began voting on Sunday (October 23) in an election run-off in the European Union member state with the centre-right opposition likely to oust the current coalition which has failed to rejuvenate the country's sluggish economy.
The opposition Homeland Union party and Lithuanian Peasants and Greens parties won 40 seats between them in the first round of the election and are projected to end up with 60 to 102 seats in the 141-member parliament after regional run-offs, data on the state election commission's website showed.
"I think there is a 70 percent (probability) that we will be in opposition", Social Democrat prime minister Algirdas Butkevicius told reporters after casting his vote on Sunday.
The opposition says it will boost foreign investment in the former Soviet republic and tackle emigration to wealthier parts of the European Union. Lithuania's population has shrunk to 2.9 million from 3.3 million a decade ago.
The first round of the election determined around half the seats in parliament based on proportional representation. The second round, which elects the second half of the parliament, is a regional run-off between the top two candidates in regions where no candidate got above 50 percent of the vote.
The centre-left Social Democrat party, which leads the current government, is on course to be the third largest party in the new parliament, paying the price for failing to breathe life into an economy that has struggled to catch up with the richer countries in Europe, analysts said. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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