Page 14 - CE Outlook Regions 2022

participated actively in the protests against the restrictions introduced
because of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly against the
proposition of compulsory vaccinations.The new parties build their
potential based on slogans referring to security, stability, and the
traditional family model.

Despite the opposition Greens and Farmers’ strong results in the
municipal elections, their longtime ally Ainārs Šlesers announced that
he would create a new, explicitly populist party that would “put Latvia
first”. It is clear that Šlesers, a powerful figure since independence, has
been observing trends since he chose to create a new party rather than
support an existing one.

If individual new parties win at least 5% of the vote and are elected to
the Saeima, Latvia will once again experience fragmentation of the
parliament and, as a result, the government. In such a case, as in 2018,
the process of forming a government coalition by parties from a broad
ideological spectrum could be very difficult.

1.5 Politics - Lithuania

The ruling Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats
(HU-LCD), known colloquially as the Conservatives, won the two-round
parliament election in Lithuania in October 2020 and entered into a
centre-right ruling coalition with the Liberal Movement and the Freedom
Party.
The HU-LCD secured 50 seats, the Liberal Movement and the Freedom
Party secured 13 and 11 seats respectively, meaning that the rightwing
parties have 74 representatives in the 141-seat Seimas.

In the opposition, The now opposition the Lithuanian Farmers and
Greens Union (LFGU), which ruled Lithuania in 2016-2020, has 32
representatives in the country’s legislature, the Seimas, and was
thought to further crumble after a dozen prominent LFGU MPs left the
party.

The Social Democratic Party of Lithuania has 13 seats in the Lithuanian
parliament. The Labour Party has 10 mandates, and the Electoral
Action of Poles in Lithuania – Christian Families Alliance and the Social
Democratic Labour Party of Lithuania have three lawmakers each.

Political scientists say the election results reflected a wish for change.
However, at the end of 2021, many Lithuanian voters were increasingly

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