Lithuania's ruling Conservatives top EU vote
(VILNIUS) - Lithuanian Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius's Conservatives topped the poll in European parliamentary elections with 26.8 percent of the vote, according to results released Monday.
The figures from Sunday's ballot gave the premier's party four of the 12 seats in the 736-member European Parliament accorded to Lithuania.
"We have gained the greatest voter confidence in these elections and for me this is a clear signal that the path chosen by our government is the right one," said Kubilius, who has been in power since winning a general election last October.
Turnout, however, was a record low of 20.91 percent, the national electoral commission said.
Lithuania, a former Soviet-ruled Baltic state of 3.4 million people which joined the European Union in 2004, has seen its once-booming economy grind to a halt.
Lithuania's central bank has forecast that the economy will contract by 15.6 percent this year, unemployment is climbing, and the government is paring down public services and slashing state-sector wages as part of an austerity drive.
Lithuania's Conservatives belong to the European People's Party, the EU assembly's centre-right umbrella group which has remained its largest bloc.
The centre-left opposition Social Democrats, who lost office to the Conservatives last year, came second Sunday with 18.62 percent of the vote, gaining three seats. They are part of the EU parliament's Party of European Socialists.
Another opposition movement, the populist Order and Justice party of Lithuania's impeached ex-president Rolandas Paksas received 12.24 percent and two seats. It is part of the EU parliament's conservative Alliance for Europe of the Nations.
Fourth was the populist Labour Party -- with 8.81 percent and one seat -- which is part of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe.
A party representing Lithuania's ethnic Poles received 8.46 percent and one seat.
The Liberal Movement, which is a member of Kubilius's four-party coalition government, received 7.35 percent and one seat.
No other parties cleared the five-percent hurdle required to win seats.
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