The Usual Trends of Lithuanian Politics in the 2024 Lithuanian Parliamentary Elections

Abstract

The 2024 Seimas elections was held after four difficult years. For the first time in history, a state of emergency was declared. During the last term, the Seimas adopted the Electoral Code and two amendments to the Constitution that are relevant to the Seimas election process. 1,740 candidates and 15 candidate lists participated in the elections. The opposition Lithuanian Social Democratic Party won the elections, while the ruling Homeland Union–Lithuanian Christian Democrats finished in second place. Two new political forces entered the Seimas, and two parliamentary parties failed to cross the 5% barrier, one of which—the Freedom Party—continued a long series of elections in which at least one ruling party no longer entered the Seimas. After the elections, three parties, the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party, the Dawn of Nemunas and the Union of Democrats For Lithuania, formed the coalition. Three parliamentary parties changed their leadership. This article provides an overview of statistical and other parameters of the 2024 Seimas elections in a comparative context.