Lithuanian president expects center-left government to benefit country - BNS INTERVIEW

PARIS – President Gitanas Nauseda said on Monday that the opposition Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP) has "clearly won" the presidential election, adding that a government formed by center-left political forces "will be for the better". 

"The Lithuanian Social Democratic Party has clearly won this election. We can already say that after the first round, and I believe we'll be able to say the same after the second round as well," Nauseda said in an interview with BNS in Paris.

"That center-left government will definitely be able to continue our foreign policy, because we have a strong consensus on foreign policy in the state. When it comes to domestic policy, I believe there'll certainly be some changes, but those changes will be for the better," he added.

The president's comments came after the LSDP won 20 seats in Sunday's first round of the parliamentary election, including two in single-member constituencies.

The Social Democrats have named the Democratic Union "For Lithuania", which finished fourth, and the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union, which barely crossed the electoral threshold, as potential coalition partners. 

The two parties won eight and six seats, respectively.

Nauseda said he expects more productive cooperation with the new Cabinet than with the outgoing government led by the conservative Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats (HU-LCD).

"With this party, we've done quite a lot, despite some sparring," the president said.

"In foreign policy, I didn't feel much discomfort, because our positions were similar. But it seems their methods and, let's not hide it, their sense of arrogance – the belief that they are the only ones who love Lithuania – tripped them up," he said. 

Nauseda also said that the Freedom Party's likely absence from the Seimas does not mean human rights issues will be ignored.

 "When this somewhat hysterical atmosphere calms down, it might actually create better conditions for resolving the issue (of same-sex partnerships). Maybe not in the way the Freedom Party or their voters envision, but at least to regulate the legal relations between same-sex couples or partners so they can enjoy the same rights as other citizens and there's no need to raise these issues in the public space anymore," the president said. 

"I don't think this is an unsolvable riddle," he added.