Lithuanian parliamentary election, 1996
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Parliamentary elections were held in Lithuania in two stages on 20 October and 10 November 1996.[1] The first round of this parliamentary election was held concurrently with a referendum to amend Articles 55, 57 and 131 of the constitution, and a referendum on the use of proceeds from privatization. The second round was held concurrently with a referendum to amend Article 47 of the constitution.
72 MPs were elected on proportional party lists and 69 MPs in single member constituencies; in those constituencies where no candidate gained more than 50% of the vote on 20 October, a run-off was held on 10 November.
Background
On 9 April 1996, a decree issued by President of the Republic Algirdas Brazauskas set the election date for 20 October and the second round of voting, if necessary, for 10 November.
The main contestants were the ruling Democratic Labour Party of Lithuania (LDLP), the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania (successor of the Communist Party of Lithuania and led by Česlovas Juršėnas), and the Homeland Union - Lithuanian Conservative Party, founded in 1993 from elements of Sajudis (the Reform Movement which had paved the way to sovereignty) and led by Vytautas Landsbergis, considered the hero of Lithuania's independence drive in 1991.[2] The Conservatives' allies were the Lithuanian Christian Democratic Party and the Centre Union. Pre-election polls favoured the right-wing opposition over LDLP, which was criticised for the country's economic stagnation and had been plagued by financial scandals, including one involving former Prime Minister Adolfas Šleževičius.[2] As the rival forces generally agreed on foreign policy (especially affiliation to NATO and the European institutions), the economy was at the forefront of campaign debate, as it was four years earlier when LDLP had won out on the same basis.[2] Landsbergis, for his part, ran on an anti-corruption platform, promising improvement and stability on the domestic scene. Altogether 1352 candidates (considerably more than in 1992) vied for the 141 seats at stake.
Polling day was marked by a relatively low turnout. Only two of the 71 majority seats were won outright in the first round, with runoffs on 10 November being required for 65 others (new elections were to be held in the four remaining constituencies). The second round also saw a low turnout. Final results gave the edge to the conservative camp, which was markedly more unified than in the past.[2] The election was won by the Homeland Union - Lithuanian Conservative Party, which gained 70 seats.
Results
| Party | PR votes | % | Seats | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PR | Constituency | Total | |||
| Homeland Union - Lithuanian Conservatives | 409,585 | 31.34 | 33 | 37 | 70 |
| Lithuanian Christian Democratic Party | 136,259 | 10.43 | 11 | 5 | 16 |
| Democratic Labour Party of Lithuania | 130,837 | 10.01 | 10 | 2 | 12 |
| Centre Union of Lithuania | 113,333 | 8.67 | 9 | 4 | 13 |
| Lithuanian Social-Democrat Party | 90,756 | 6.94 | 7 | 5 | 12 |
| Young Lithuania | 52,423 | 4.01 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Lithuanian Women's Party | 50,494 | 3.86 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Lithuanian Christian Democratic Union | 42,346 | 3.24 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania | 39,773 | 3.14 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Alliance of the Lithuanian National Minorities | 33,389 | 2.55 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lithuanian Nationalist Union | 28,744 | 2.20 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Lithuanian Democratic Party | 2 | 2 | |||
| Liberal Union of Lithuania | 25,279 | 1.93 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Lithuanian Peasants Party | 22,826 | 1.75 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Union of the Russians of Lithuania | 22,395 | 1.71 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lithuanian Union of Political Prisoners and Deportees | 20,580 | 1.57 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Lithuanian Liberty Union | 20,511 | 1.57 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lithuanian Party of Economy | 16,475 | 1.26 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lithuanian Liberty League | 12,562 | 0.96 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lithuanian Social Justice Union | 12,234 | 0.94 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lithuanian Socialist Party | 9,985 | 0.76 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Republican Party | 5,063 | 0.39 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| National Progress Party | 3,922 | 0.30 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lithuanian Party Life's Logic | 3,361 | 0.26 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lithuanian Peoples Party | 2,622 | 0.26 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Independence Party | – | – | – | 0 | 0 |
| Independents | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Invalid/blank votes | 67,751 | 4.9 | – | – | – |
| Total | 1,374,673 | 100 | 70 | 70 | 140 |
| Registered voters/turnout | 2,597,530 | 52.9 | – | – | – |
| Source: Nohlen & Stöver | |||||
Aftermath
On 25 November, the newly elected Seimas held its first session and elected Landsbergis as Speaker. The new Council of Ministers, headed by Prime Minister Gediminas Vagnorius, was formed on 4 December.[2] Vagnorius would go on to serve as Prime Minister and the head of a coalition government that included the Lithuanian Christian Democrats under Algirdas Saudargas, who was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs.
References
External links
- The Central Electoral Commission of the Republic of Lithuania (English) (Lithuanian)
- SILBA EOM mission to Lithuania - Kaunas (English) (Lithuanian)
- 1996 Seimas Election Results
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