The Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP) has emerged victorious in the country's general elections, but with the governing Homeland Union close on its heels. Final results will not be confirmed until after the runoffs on October 27, two weeks from now, LRT.lt, the website of Lithuania’s national broadcaster LRT, reported on October 14.

In the national constituency, 70 seats are allocated based on the party list vote using a proportional representation system. To qualify for these  seats, a party must secure at least 5% of the vote, while coalitions need at least 7%. Six parties surpassed the threshold and will share the 70 seats: Social Democrats with 18, Homeland Union with 17, Dawn of the River Neman with 14, the Democrat Union For Lithuania with 8, the Liberal Movement with 7, and the Farmers and Greens Union with 6.

Another 71 members were elected in single-member constituencies. In the first round, only eight candidates secured seats, with the remaining 63 seats to be decided in runoffs between the two leading candidates in each district.

While the votes were being counted, the election winner, LSDP, and the Democrat Union For Lithuania, which benefited from a late surge in support, announced plans to form a ruling coalition.

Vilija Blinkeviciute, leader of the LSDP said, “We have decided to form the ruling majority together” following a meeting with Saulius Skvernelis, leader of the Democratic Union For Lithuania.

Analysts suggest that the second round of voting is unlikely to alter the overall outcome, and the Social Democrats are expected to maintain their lead. The most likely coalition partner for the Social Democrats and Skvernelis' Democrats appears to be the Liberal Movement. However, some speculate that a coalition without The Dawn of the River Neman might still be difficult to assemble.

The Lithuanian Peasants and Greens Union (LVZS), which allied with Igna Vegele, a former presidential candidate known for opposing mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations, faced a tense moment as their results came down to the wire. They needed 7% of the vote to enter the Seimas and ultimately secured 7.02%, earning six seats.

The Freedom Party, part of the previous ruling coalition, struggled, garnering only 4.50% and failing to cross the 5% threshold.

Several other parties also fell short of the 5% barrier, including the Lithuanian Poles' Election Action - Union of Christian Families (3.89%), National Unification (2.87%), Lithuanian People's Party (2.64%), Peace Coalition (2.20%), the Party of Regions of Lithuania (1.90%), the Green Party of Lithuania (1.68%), the Union of People and Justice (1.38%), and the Party Freedom and Justice (0.75%).

Voter turnout for the election was 52.06%, an increase from the 47.16% turnout in the 2020 Seimas elections.

With the vote count ongoing, Gabrielius Landsbergis, chairman of the TS-LKD and foreign minister, stated repeatedly that he still has not abandoned the idea of a broad coalition that might include cooperation with the Social Democrats. However, Blinkeviciute, LSDP leader, shot back: “This seems to me like political harassment.”

Landsbergis, who was once the second-ranking member of his party, was pushed to third place on the electoral list, overtaken by defence minister Laurynas Kasciunas, who received 1,073 first-place votes to Landsbergis' 839.