LITHUANIA: LITHUANIA'S main centre-right opposition party looked set to win the first round of a parliamentary vote yesterday, with a disgraced ex-president making a strong comeback, an exit poll showed.
The vote took place amid anger over double digit inflation and fears the once high-flying economy would slide during the global financial crisis. A newly assertive Russia has also been a focus of concern for some in this former Soviet state.
The vote seemed likely to lead to tough coalition talks that could pit the centre-right and nationalist Homeland Union against the party of former president Rolandas Paksas, who was impeached and removed from office.
The poll, for Baltic news agency BNS and broadcast on Lithuanian state television, showed that the Homeland Union would win 21 percent of votes for party lists, a better showing than in recent opinion polls.
"The result looks quite good, bearing in mind most of the polls failed to predict such support," Homeland leader Andrius Kubilius said. He backs tax cuts to boost the economy.
The Sunday election was a first round vote for party lists, which gives 70 seats in the 141-seat parliament, and for single-mandate constituencies, which gives 71 seats.
Analysts say parliament's final configuration will only be known after the October 26th run off for the single mandate areas.
The exit poll showed that Mr Paksas's Law and Order Party could get 14 per cent of party list seats in parliament. A stunt pilot, he was removed from office in 2004 for favouring a Russian businessman who was his aide, leading to allegations of being pro-Russian, which he denies.
He and Russian-born millionaire Viktor Uspaskich, whom the exit poll showed in fifth place, are also criticised as populists, but look set to be in a future coalition.
The ruling Social Democrats were set to take third place in the vote, the poll showed, with analysts saying they have suffered from the fears of a slowdown. They were followed by a party formed recently by a TV host. - (Reuters)