A conservative party critical of Russia won Lithuania’s parliamentary ballot, the Baltic country’s election commission said, signaling the return of a center-right government after seven years of leftist rule.
The Homeland Union led by former prime minister Andrius Kubilius won the first round of the vote two weeks ago and extended its lead in Sunday’s runoff to capture a total of 44 seats in the 141-member parliament, the commission said.
The Social Democrats finished in second place with 26 seats, losing their grip on power in the former Soviet republic, which joined the EU and NATO in 2004.
The conservatives are expected to join forces with three smaller center-right parties to form Lithuania’s 15th government since breaking free from the crumbling Soviet empire in 1991.
“We will take the responsibility to form a coalition,” said Kubilius, a strong critic of Russia who has been stuck in opposition since leading a short-lived government between 1999 and 2000.
Kubilius said he expected to be nominated as prime minister.
“I do not see a reason why I can’t be in the position, which I have already worked in during difficult times,” he said.
Earlier on Sunday, Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus said that he would offer the prime minister’s job to the party that won the most seats.
Lithuanian voters have been exasperated with scandals surrounding the governing Social Democratic Party. They also fear becoming more dependent on Russia for energy, as their country of 3.4 million closes a Soviet-era nuclear plant next year under an agreement with the EU.
A conservative-led government would likely inject a fresh boost to economic reforms in the Baltic nation, which after years of stellar growth is facing double-digit inflation and plummeting consumer confidence.
The Philippines yesterday said its coast guard would acquire 40 fast patrol craft from France, with plans to deploy some of them in disputed areas of the South China Sea. The deal is the “largest so far single purchase” in Manila’s ongoing effort to modernize its coast guard, with deliveries set to start in four years, Philippine Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan told a news conference. He declined to provide specifications for the vessels, which Manila said would cost 25.8 billion pesos (US$440 million), to be funded by development aid from the French government. He said some of the vessels would
Hundreds of thousands of Guyana citizens living at home and abroad would receive a payout of about US$478 each after the country announced it was distributing its “mind-boggling” oil wealth. The grant of 100,000 Guyanese dollars would be available to any citizen of the South American country aged 18 and older with a valid passport or identification card. Guyanese citizens who normally live abroad would be eligible, but must be in Guyana to collect the payment. The payout was originally planned as a 200,000 Guyanese dollar grant for each household in the country, but was reframed after concerns that some citizens, including
Airlines in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia and Singapore yesterday canceled flights to and from the Indonesian island of Bali, after a nearby volcano catapulted an ash tower into the sky. Australia’s Jetstar, Qantas and Virgin Australia all grounded flights after Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki on Flores island spewed a 9km tower a day earlier. Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia, India’s IndiGo and Singapore’s Scoot also listed flights as canceled. “Volcanic ash poses a significant threat to safe operations of the aircraft in the vicinity of volcanic clouds,” AirAsia said as it announced several cancelations. Multiple eruptions from the 1,703m twin-peaked volcano in
A plane bringing Israeli soccer supporters home from Amsterdam landed at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport on Friday after a night of violence that Israeli and Dutch officials condemned as “anti-Semitic.” Dutch police said 62 arrests were made in connection with the violence, which erupted after a UEFA Europa League soccer tie between Amsterdam club Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv. Israeli flag carrier El Al said it was sending six planes to the Netherlands to bring the fans home, after the first flight carrying evacuees landed on Friday afternoon, the Israeli Airports Authority said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also ordered
RSS