VILNIUS - The opinion polls predicted it, and the political elite decried it. Nevertheless, disaffected voters made their voices heard on Oct. 10 when they propelled Russian multimillionaire Victor Uspaskich and his populist Labor Party, founded only a year ago, to victory in Lithuania's parliamentary elections.
Having won 28.46 percent support in proportional voting, the Labor Party is guaranteed at least 22 seats in the new Seimas (Lithuania's parliament), though this number is expected to increase significantly after the second round of voting in single-mandate districts.
Half of Lithuania's Parliament (70 seats) is selected on proportionate party-basis and the other (71 seats) through single mandates.
Uspaskich, who made his fortune selling pickles and speculating on real estate, triumphed over Chairman of the Liberal and Center Union Arturas Zuokas in his hometown of Kedainiai, setting a record voting support of 68 percent.
Working for Lithuania, the union of Social Democrats and Social Liberals who make up the country's ruling coalition, finished second with 20.65 percent of the vote, according to the Central Election Committee.
But the day belonged to the Darbo Partija. In fact, the Laborites were so confident of victory throughout the tally that many members paid more attention to the Social Democrats' returns than their own.
But despite the victory, the Laborites, who had campaigned on a basket of social promises that politicians and analysts decried as extravagant and impossible, were given the cold-shoulder by the country's ruling elite, including President Valdas Adamkus, who neglected to carry out protocol and call with words of congratulations.
This caused no small amount of indignation, and Uspaskich, unwilling to restrain himself, called Social Democrat leader and Prime Minister Algirdas Bra-zauskas to congratulate the latter with his second-place finish. He also inquired later that night as to why the president had failed to congratulate the Labor Party.
In addition, four other parties - the Homeland Union, the Liberal Democratic Party, the Liberal and Center Union, and the Union of Farmers and New Democracy parties - managed to cross the 5 percent barrier.
The conservative Homeland Union and the Liberal and Center Union were particularly content with their results, finishing third and fifth respectively. The Homeland Union garnered 14.74 percent, or the equivalent of 11 mandates, while the Liberals mustered 9.18 percent, or seven mandates.
"I should say that right-wing parties performed well, and considering voter turnout, which was a record low, the election results achieved by right wing forces, in my opinion, are good indeed," Liberal leader and Vilnius Mayor Arturas Zuokas said in a press conference on Oct. 11.
Impeached President Rolandas Paksas' party, the Liberal Democrats, finished fourth with 11.42 percent of the vote.
Merely 36.71 percent of Lithuania's eligible voters cast their ballots on election day, another 7.6 percent voted by post. Falling from 58.6 percent in the last parliamentary election, the record-low turnout was seen as voters' expression of disgust with Lithuanian politics, marred this year by a presidential impeachment and parliamentary corruption scandals.
Even the president could not conceal his alarm at the low level of voter activity.
"I am sorry that a big part of the electorate did not avail the right to elect a parliament that would be entrusted with the future of Lithuania. Although there are moments of disappointment in the lives of most people, this should not overshadow responsibility to the state," Adamkus said.
Large parts of the electorate will have to hit the voting booths again on Oct. 24 in the run-off ballots for single-mandate districts. These results will ultimately decide which parties have the power to forge a coalition. Both the right-wing parties and the Social Democrats still have not lost hope to become the next Parliament's driving force and leave Labor Party in the opposition.
Arturas Paulauskas, leader of the Social-Liberal New Union and interim president after Paksas' impeachment, said that the party expected to remain the central force in forming the coalition government.
Meanwhile, the conservatives are urging more traditional parties to form a united front against Labor Party candidates in the second round. Homeland Union officials said they were even prepared to support their long-time opponents - the Social Democrats and the Social Liberals - just to prevent Uspaskich from gaining the upper hand.
"Our aim is not only to win the maximum number of mandates in single mandate districts, but also to lower the Labor Party's chances of winning. The Labor Party's presence in the government would cause harm to Lithuania," chairman of the Homeland Union Andrius Kubilius said in a press conference. "I will propose that the Homeland Union presidium support social democrats competing with the Labor Party candidates."
In 35 out of 66 single-mandate districts, Homeland Union candidates and liberals are posed against Laborites.
However, 49 representatives of the Labor Party made it to the second round, which theoretically gives them a chance to garner a 71-mandate majority in the national legislature.
Also, the new Parliament will be devoid of many perennial radicals, including the leader of the radical Lithuanian Freedom Union, Vytautas Sustauskas, and other party activists, as well as infamous radical Visvaldas Mazonas and national socialist Mindaugas Murza.
Sustauskas suffered a crushing defeat in Klaipeda, collecting merely 2.59 percent of votes and ending up in 10th place in the single-mandate district.
