LITHUANIA-Ruling Conservatives Demand Snap Election: RTRS

Reuters reporting that the senior partner in Lithuania's governing coalition, the centre-right Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats (also known as the Conservatives) is set to propose a snap election to parliament, and that the gov't could resign if the request is not fulfilled.

• It should be noted that Lithuania operates with a semi-presidential system, where President Gitanas Nausėda carries powers in the area of foreign affairs as well as in some domestic matters such as being able to submit bills to parliament (Seimas) and veto those passed, appointing the prime minister and gov't, and dissolving parliament for elections.
• The timing of the gov'ts request is somewhat odd, given that the tripartite coalition between the Conservatives, centre-right liberal Liberal Movement, and centrist Freedom Party would almost certainly lose its parliamentary majority based on current opinion polling. The next parliamentary election must take place by October 2024 at the latest.
• Polls show that the centre-left Social Democratic Party is on course to win a plurality after years in the political wilderness, while the economic left but socially right Union of Democrats 'For Lithuania' or the agrarian Farmers and Greens Union could prop up such a gov't.
• Under the current gov't, Lithuania has become one of the major China hawks within the EU. In seeking closer relations with Taiwan, Vilnius has drawn a significant backlash from Beijing resulting in EU accusations that China 'has applied discriminatory and coercive measures against exports from Lithuania '.