2000 Lithuanian parliamentary election

Background

In 1996 Lithuanian parliamentary election the Homeland Union – Lithuanian Conservatives won 70 seats. They formed a coalition with second-place Lithuanian Christian Democratic Party. By 1998 Lithuania was hit by the Russian financial crisis, which (along with the conflicts between ruling coalition, Prime Ministers Gediminas Vagnorius and Rolandas Paksas and President of Republic Valdas Adamkus) caused two replacements of government.

Economic turmoil caused decline of support of main parties (the Homeland Union and the Democratic Labour Party of Lithuania). The other parties that benefited from aforementioned parties were the Liberal Union of Lithuania (especially after Paksas became its leader) and the New Union (Social Liberals). In municipal elections of 2000, these two parties combined won 30.67 per cent of the vote, while the Homeland Union and the Democratic Labour Party of Lithuania together won 17.74 per cent of the votes.

As response to this situation, the Democratic Labour Party of Lithuania, the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania and the New Democracy Party formed electoral coalition in July 2000 with Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas as its candidate to the Prime Minister. The Homeland Union formed alliance with the Political Prisoners and Deportees Union of Lithuania.

Electoral system

The 141 members of the Seimas were elected by parallel voting; 70 were elected by proportional representation in a single nationwide constituency, with 71 elected by first-past-the-post voting in single-member constituencies. Previously members from the single-member constituencies had been elected using the two-round system, but the electoral system was changed prior to the elections to scrap the second round and allow members to be elected by plurality. These changes had been introduced by the Homeland Union and passed by the Seimas on 19 July 2000. Although President Valdas Adamkus vetoed the Act, the veto was overturned and the changes had been implemented.

Opinion polls

Results

Only four party and coalition lists passed five per cent threshold. The Social Democratic coalition of former President Algirdas Brazauskas received the largest share of the popular vote in the nationwide constituency (31 per cent) and won the most seats in the Seimas (51 seats), but short of the 71 seats needed for the majority. New Union (Social Liberals), led by Artūras Paulauskas, came second in the nationwide constituency (19.64 per cent), winning 29 seats in the parliament. The centre-right Liberal Union, led by the Mayor of Vilnius and former Prime Minister Rolandas Paksas, became as the largest single party in the parliament, with 34 seats and 17.25 per cent of the vote in the nationwide constituency. The possible "New Politics" Coalition (consisting Liberal Union, New Union (Social Liberals), Lithuanian Centre Union and Modern Christian-Democratic Union) won 66 seats, but it too came short of absolute majority.

The Homeland Union, which had led the government for the previous four years, performed poorly in the elections, receiving only 8.62 per cent of the vote and winning eight seats, down from more than 30% of the vote and 70 seats in the previous elections. Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius and many other prominent ministers were beaten in their constituencies. In the electoral campaign dominated by economic issues, the party was punished by voters for the economic recession and high unemployment, as well as its austerity policy. The Social Democratic coalition, on the other hand, had promised the end to austerity, including lower taxes and higher social spending.

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Analysis

Social Democratic coalition won most votes in most of Lithuania. Kaunas and Vilnius were narrowly won by the Liberal Union of Lithuania, while New Union (Social Liberals) got the most votes in Trakai, Širvintos, Varėna, Kėdainiai and, to lesser extent, Vilnius districts.{{cite web|url=https://vrk.maps.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?layers=44656569b7c1496ba59b623d3f626df1

Aftermath

After disastrous results leaders of the Lithuanian Christian Democratic Party and the Lithuanian Centre Union, Algirdas Saudargas and Romualdas Ozolas, respectively, tendered resignations from their positions. Poor results would also affect other minor parties. Homeland People's Party leader Laima Liucija Andrikienė proposed merger of all center-right parties. It would happen gradually from 2001 to 2008, when the Homeland Union (which received their worst result ever in these elections) would merge with most them. Poor results also caused disintegration of the Lithuanian Centre Union, which would merge with the Liberal Union of Lithuania in 2003.

Government formation

The Liberal Union, the New Union (Social Liberals), the Centre Union, the Modern Christian Democrats and the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania formed a coalition after the election (these parties combined and two MPs, who joined New Union's parliamentary group, had 68 members), with Rolandas Paksas appointed as the new Prime Minister and Artūras Paulauskas elected as the Speaker of the Seimas.

Notes

References

References

1. "Parliamentary Chamber: Assemblée nationale, Elections Held in 2000".
2. "Artėjant rinkimams, partijos galanda savo dantis".
3. "V.Landsbergis siūlo tenkintis ir šešėliu".
4. "The Lithuanian Electoral System".
5. [https://www.delfi.lt/news/daily/lithuania/sklando-ideja-grazinti-antraji-balsavimo-tura.d?id=2990412 Sklando idėja grąžinti antrąjį balsavimo turą (9)] Delfi, 13 October 2003
6. [https://web.archive.org/web/20120302181859/http://www2.essex.ac.uk/elect/database/indexElections.asp?country=LITHUANIA&election=lt20 2000 Parliamentary Elections] University of Essex
7. "Tėvynės liaudies partija kur naują partijų bloką".
8. (3 July 2001). "Brazauskas returns as Lithuanian PM".