Editing Elections in Lithuania (section)

== Elections to the Seimas ==

=== Process and eligibility ===

[[File:Seimas barricades 2.jpg|thumb|left|[[Seimas Palace]] in Vilnius]]The '''[[Seimas|parliament]]''' (''Lietuvos Respublikos Seimas'') has 141 members, elected to a four-year term, with 71 members elected in single-seat [[constituency|constituencies]] and 70 members elected by [[proportional representation]].<ref name="SeimasLaw">{{cite web |url=http://www3.lrs.lt/pls/inter3/dokpaieska.showdoc_l?p_id=483680 |title=Law on Elections to the Seimas |date= 14 May 2015 |publisher=Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania |access-date=31 July 2015}}</ref> Lithuania exhibits a fragmented multi-party system,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tlu.ee/stss/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/stss_nov_2011_saarts.pdf |title=Comparative Party System Analysis in Central and Eastern Europe: the Case of the Baltic States |last1=Saarts |first1=Tõnis |publisher=Studies of Transition States and Societies |access-date=31 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161019212154/http://www.tlu.ee/stss/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/stss_nov_2011_saarts.pdf |archive-date=19 October 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> with a number of small parties in which coalition governments are common. Ordinary elections to the Seimas take place on the second Sunday of October.

To be eligible for election, candidates must be at least 21 years old on the election day, not under allegiance to a foreign state and permanently reside in Lithuania. Persons serving or due to serve a sentence imposed by the court 65 days before the election are not eligible. Also, judges, citizens performing military service, and servicemen of professional military service and officials of statutory institutions and establishments may not stand for election.<ref name="SeimasLaw" />

In addition, the Lithuanian law stipulates that a person who has been removed from office through impeachment may not be elected for four years after their removal,<ref name="SeimasLaw" /> although the limit of four years has been suspended by the Lithuanian constitutional court, which stated that the Lithuanian constitution does not allow for persons impeached for a breach of constitution or their oath of office to stand in elections indefinitely. This provision of the constitution had been ruled to be in breach of the [[European Convention on Human Rights]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.delfi.lt/news/daily/lithuania/konstitucinis-teismas-r-paksui-vilties-nesuteike.d?id=64323400 |language=lt |title=Konstitucinis Teismas R. Paksui vilties nesuteikė |trans-title=The constitutional court did not give R. Paksas hope |date=20 March 2014 |website=Delfi.lt |access-date=31 July 2015}}</ref>

Parliament members in the 71 single-seat constituencies are elected in a majority vote if the voter turnout in the constituency is at least 40%. If the voter turnout is less than 40%, the candidate with the most votes (and at least 20% of the votes) is declared the winner. If there are more than two candidates and no candidate wins in the first round, a second round of voting is held within 15 days. The two leading candidates from the first round are eligible for the second round of voting. The candidate that gets more votes in the second round is declared the winner, regardless of voter turnout.<ref name="SeimasLaw" />

The remaining 70 seats are allocated to the participating political parties proportionally to the share of vote received, using the [[largest remainder method]]. Parties receiving less than 5% of the vote and joint multi-party electoral lists receiving less than 7% of the vote are not eligible to receive any seats, unless the remaining eligible parties received less than 60% of the vote.<ref name="SeimasLaw" />

Candidates take the seats allocated to their parties based on the preference lists submitted before the election. The preference lists are adjusted by preference votes given by the voters.

=== Elections and results ===
Nine elections of the Seimas have been held in Lithuania since independence.

The [[1992 Lithuanian parliamentary election|first election]] in independent Lithuania was held on 25 October 1992, with a run-off on 15 November. 24 parties and political movements contested the Seimas seats. The election was won by the (ex-communist) [[Democratic Labor Party of Lithuania]], which gained 73 seats and 44% of the popular vote. Analysts attributed the victory to the support the party found among the Russian and Polish minorities, farmers, as well as to popular dissatisfaction with the economic situation, particularly the fuel shortage.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/arc/2189_92.htm |title=Elections Held in 1992 |publisher=Inter-Parliamentary Union |access-date=31 July 2015}}</ref> [[Sąjūdis]], which had led Lithuania into independence finished distant second with 30 seats.

The [[1996 Lithuanian parliamentary election|1996 parliamentary election]] was held on 20 October with the run-off on 10 November. This time, [[Democratic Labor Party of Lithuania]] suffered as a result of poor economic situation and financial scandals, including one involving former Prime Minister [[Adolfas Šleževičius]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/arc/2189_96.htm |title=Elections Held in 1996 |publisher=Inter-Parliamentary Union |access-date=31 July 2015}}</ref> The election was won by the [[Homeland Union]] - Lithuanian Conservative Party, which gained 70 seats and 31% of the vote. [[Lithuanian Christian Democratic Party]] were distant second with 16 seats, followed by [[Democratic Labor Party of Lithuania]] with 12.

The [[2000 Lithuanian parliamentary election|2000 parliamentary election]] was held on 8 October. The election was held in the context of economic crisis brought about by [[Russian financial crisis of 1998]], austerity and high-profile privatization. [[Liberal Union of Lithuania]] won the most seats of any party in the election, with 33, although a joint list "Social-Democratic Coalition of Algirdas Brazauskas" won the highest share of the popular vote with 31%.  The Liberal Union formed the government with [[New Union (Social Liberals)]], [[Lithuanian Centre Union]] and the Modern Christian Democrats.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://195.65.105.150/parline-e/reports/arc/2189_00.htm |title=Elections Held in 2000 |publisher=Inter-Parliamentary Union |access-date=31 July 2015}}</ref> The coalition was short-lived and [[Algirdas Brazauskas]], a social democrat, became the prime minister less than a year later.

The Social Democrats remained at the helm of the government after the [[2004 Lithuanian parliamentary election|2004 parliamentary election]], which was held on 10 October, with the run-off on 24 October. The party was the third-largest in the parliament after the election with 20 seats, behind [[Labour Party (Lithuania)|Labour Party]] with 39 and Homeland Union (Lithuanian Conservatives) with 25,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/arc/2189_04.htm |title=Elections Held in 2004 |publisher=Inter-Parliamentary Union |access-date=31 July 2015}}</ref> but managed to govern together with [[New Union (Social Liberals)]] (11 seats), the Labour Party and the support of other parties. It was the first time since independence that a ruling government survived an election.

The [[2008 Lithuanian parliamentary election|2008 parliamentary election]] was held on 12 October, with a run-off on 26 October. Homeland Union won the election dominated by taxation and potential introduction of Euro. Rising inflation and potential economic downturn were also high on the agenda following several years of rapid growth.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/arc/2189_08.htm |title=Elections Held in 2008 |publisher=Inter-Parliamentary Union |access-date=31 July 2015}}</ref> Homeland Union (45 seats) formed a coalition government with populist and short-lived [[National Resurrection Party]] (16 seats), [[Liberal Movement (Lithuania)|Liberal Movement]] (11 seats) and [[Liberal and Centre Union]] (8 seats). Social Democrats was the largest party in opposition with 25 seats.

The [[2012 Lithuanian parliamentary election|2012 parliamentary election]] was held on 14 October, with a run-off on 28 October. The Social Democrats became the largest party in the Seimas and defeated the center-right coalition of [[Andrius Kubilius]]. The Social Democrats, with 38 seats, formed a government coalition with Labour Party (19 seats), [[Order and Justice]] (11 seats) and [[Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania]] (8 seats), with the latter party later withdrawing from the government.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lrytas.lt/lietuvos-diena/aktualijos/vyriausybe-apsivale-v-tomasevskio-partija-uz-borto.htm |title=Vyriausybe apsivalė, V. Tomaševskio partija - už borto |language=lt |trans-title=The government has cleaned up, the party of V. Tomaševski is overboard |date=26 August 2014 |publisher=Lietuvos Rytas |access-date=31 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151006034412/http://www.lrytas.lt/lietuvos-diena/aktualijos/vyriausybe-apsivale-v-tomasevskio-partija-uz-borto.htm |archive-date=6 October 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Homeland Union (33 seats) withdrew to the opposition after four years in government.

The [[2016 Lithuanian parliamentary election|2016 parliamentary election]] was held on 9 October, with a run-off on 23 October. The election was a surprise victory for Peasant and Greens Union, which won 54 seats in the parliament - the largest tally by a single party in Lithuania for 20 years. Homeland Union won the largest share of the vote (22.63%) and 20 mandates in the nationwide constituency, but a disappointing performance in single-member constituencies left the party a distant second with 31 seats. Peasants and Greens formed a coalition with the Social Democrats, who won 17 seats in the parliament.
<ref name="NYTimes">{{cite news|title=Agrarian Newcomers Claim Victory in Lithuanian Election|url=https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/10/23/world/europe/ap-eu-lithuania-election.html|access-date=25 October 2016|agency=The Associated Press|work=The New York Times|date=23 October 2016}}</ref>

The [[2020 Lithuanian parliamentary election|2020 parliamentary election]] was held on 11 October, with a run-off on 25 October. It was a victory for the Homeland Union, which finished first with 50 seats and formed a [[Šimonytė Cabinet|centre-right coalition]] with the Liberal Movement (13 seats) and the newly formed [[Freedom Party (Lithuania)|Freedom Party]] (11 seats).<ref>{{cite news |title=Lithuania's liberal and conservative parties sign coalition agreement |url=https://www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/1272062/lithuania-s-liberal-and-conservative-parties-sign-coalition-agreement |work=lrt.lt |date=9 November 2020 |language=en}}</ref> The Peasant and Greens Union (32 seats) became the largest party in the opposition.

The [[2024 Lithuanian parliamentary election|2024 parliamentary election]] was held on 13 October, with a run-off on 27 October 2024. The Lithuanian Social Democratic Party finished first with 52 seats<ref>{{cite news |title=Landsbergis steps down as conservative leader, refuses Seimas seat |url=https://www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/2399029/landsbergis-steps-down-as-conservative-leader-refuses-seimas-seat |work=lrt.lt |date=28 October 2024 |language=en}}</ref> and formed a [[Paluckas Cabinet|centre-left coalition]] with two newly formed parties: the [[Union of Democrats "For Lithuania"]] (14 seats) and [[Dawn of Nemunas]] (20 seats).<ref>{{cite news |title=Lithuanian Social Democrats sign coalition agreement with controversial politician |url=https://www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/2410353/lithuanian-social-democrats-sign-coalition-agreement-with-controversial-politician |work=lrt.lt |date=11 November 2024 |language=en}}</ref> The Homeland Union (28 seats) became the largest party in the opposition.

{| class=wikitable style=text-align:right
!rowspan=2|Election
!rowspan=2|Turnout
!colspan=3|Largest party/list
!colspan=3|2nd largest party/list
!colspan=3|3rd largest party/list
|-
!
!%
!Seats
!
!%
!Seats
!
!%
!Seats
|-
|align=right|[[1992 Lithuanian parliamentary election|1992]]||75.3%||align=left|[[Democratic Labour Party of Lithuania]]||44%||73||align=left|[[Sąjūdis]]||21.2%||30
|align=left|Coalition:
[[Lithuanian Christian Democratic Party]],
[[Lithuanian Union of Political Prisoners and Deportees]],
[[Lithuanian Democratic Party]]
|12.6%||18
|-
|align=right|[[1996 Lithuanian parliamentary election|1996]]||52.9%||align=left|[[Homeland Union|Homeland Union - Lithuanian Conservatives]]||31.34%||70||align=left|Lithuanian Christian Democratic Party||10.43%||16||align=left|Democratic Labour Party of Lithuania||10.01%||12
|-
|align=right|[[2000 Lithuanian parliamentary election|2000]]||58.6%||align=left|Social-Democratic Coalition of Algirdas Brazauskas||31.08%||51||align=left|[[Liberal Union of Lithuania]]||17.25%||33||align=left|[[New Union (Social Liberals)]]||19.64%||28
|-
|align=right|[[2004 Lithuanian parliamentary election|2004]]||46.1%||align=left|[[Labour Party (Lithuania)|Labour Party]]||28.4%||39||align=left|Working for Lithuania:
[[Social Democratic Party of Lithuania]],
New Union (Social Liberals)
|20.7%||31||align=left|Homeland Union (Lithuanian Conservatives)||14.8%||25
|-
|align=right|[[2008 Lithuanian parliamentary election|2008]]||48.59%||align=left| [[Homeland Union|Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats]]||19.72%||45||align=left|Social Democratic Party of Lithuania||11.72%||25||align=left|[[National Resurrection Party]]||15.09%||16
|-
|align=right|[[2012 Lithuanian parliamentary election|2012]]||52.93%||align=left|Social Democratic Party of Lithuania||18.37%||38||align=left|Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats||15.08%||33||align=left|Labour Party||19.82%||29
|-
|align=right|[[2016 Lithuanian parliamentary election|2016]]||50.64%||align=left|[[Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union|Lithuanian Peasant and Greens Union]]||22.45%||54||align=left|Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats||22.63%||31||align=left|Social Democratic Party of Lithuania||15.04%||17
|-
|align=right|[[2020 Lithuanian parliamentary election|2020]]||47.81%||align=left|Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats||25.77%||50||align=left|Lithuanian Peasant and Greens Union||18.07%||32||align=left|Social Democratic Party of Lithuania||9.58%||13
|-
|align=right|[[2024 Lithuanian parliamentary election|2024]]||52.20%||align=left|Social Democratic Party of Lithuania||19.70%||52||align=left|Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats||18.35%||28||align=left|[[Dawn of Nemunas]]||15.26%||20
|}

==== Results of the 2024 election ====
{{excerpt|2024 Lithuanian parliamentary election}}