In Lithuania 70 MPs are elected in the multi-member constituency and 71 in single-member constituencies. In the former, people vote for the party of their choice and may rank its candidates. Whereas in the latter, people have to pick one candidate from a handful of others representing different parties in a polling district based on the voter’s declared place of residence.
The World Lithuanians’ single-member constituency was established before 2020 elections so that Lithuanians residing abroad would have their representative. However, not only Lithuanians who permanently live abroad may vote there. Those who are abroad temporarily may vote in this constituency with prior registration. Voting takes place in embassies and consulates.
TS-LKD candidate Dalia Asanavičiūtė is contending in the World Lithuanians’ constituency. She advanced to runoff voting on 13 October as a runner-up together with Freedom Party’s leader Aušrinė Armonaitė. Just 189 votes separated the two of them.
MP Asanavičiūtė confirmed to Delfi that she had voted in Poland, but claimed to be unaware that her aides did so, too.
On Thursday, the Freedom Party appealed to the Central Electoral Commission (VRK) accusing the TS-LKD of attempts to manipulate the outcome of elections in the World Lithuanians’ constituency. The party stated that the TS-LKD plans to organise trips of Lithuania’s permanent residents to Sejny, in Poland, so they would vote for Asanavičiūtė. The Freedom Party asked the election watchdog to prevent Lithuania’s permanent residents from voting in Sejny or it would request to annul election results there. The TS-LKD denied these accusations.
On Friday, the VRK stated that it was monitoring the situation concerning voter registration in Sejny, Poland, and Riga, Latvia. The election watchdog said some people have withdrawn their requests to vote there.
A day earlier it said that 14 additional applications to vote in Sejny and 14 to vote in Riga had been received. VRK Chairwoman Lina Petronienė stated that colleagues of both candidates were registering to vote abroad. She warned that law enforcement would be involved if this practice does not cease.