VILNIUS - The Central Election Committee has given its approval to the results of the general election despite a voting recount scandal and protests from the Social Democrats that the Constitutional Court should review the election.
The Social Democrats had complained about the validity of the results and asked to get permission to hold a revote for the Seskine seat, where Social Democratic MP Vilija Blinkeviciute had originally won the race.
The initial result showed a winning margin of less than 50 votes, which by law warrants a recount. According to the recount, the Homeland Union 's Lithuanian Christian Democrats won the seat.
The Social Democrats were hoping that President Valdas Adamkus would agree and call for the election results to be subjected to a probe by the Constitutional Court.
The Prosecutor General's Office, however, dropped the Seskine case after investigations of foul play in the miscount found no evidence of criminal acts. It is believed that human error caused the initial miscount. "The case was cancelled. The miscalculation was not intentional. Perhaps the counters were just tired," Aurelija Juodyte public relations head at the Prosecutor General's Office told The Baltic Times.
After the investigation of suspected ballot fraud in the single-mandate district of Seskine, the Central Election Committee announced that Conservative candidate Audronius Azubalis had won.
The second round of elections, held on Oct. 26, resulted in the Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats claiming the most seats out of the 141 available with 45. Second was the previous ruling Social Democrat Party with 25, followed by the National Resurrection Party with 15.
The winners were followed by Liberal Movement with 11, the Labor Party and Youth Coalition with 10, the Liberal and Center Union with eight, the Farmers' National Union and the Lithuanian Poles' Election Action with three mandates each and the New Union with one seat in the Seimas (Lithuanian parliament).
Four seats went to independent MPs.
