Lithuania's ruling party faces unenviable pre-election situation

In a review published on Thursday, bank analysts say the conservative party, currently the fourth in terms of popularity, is facing a tough situation due to the lack of potential coalition partners after the general elections.

"Other major parties are looking in the opposite direction. The liberal powers are divided and might not pass the 5-percent threshold. Meanwhile one can hardly rely on future MPs with eclectic views," SEB, the largest commercial bank in Lithuania, said in its Lithuanian Macroeconomic Review.

On the other hand, bank experts say experience shows that "Lithuanian voters' position during elections sometimes undergoes metamorphosis, as compared to pre-election moods."

"Standing alone in front of the ballot box, a person realizes his/her civic responsibility and tries to resist the feeling of protest he/she felt during public surveys. We have to admit that more people realize the meaning of 2009-2010 economic sacrifices in today's Lithuania than, for example, a couple of years ago," the review reads.

A recent Vilmorus/Lietuvos Rytas survey has showed that 17.1 percent of Lithuanian residents would now vote for the Labor Party. The Social Democratic Party would get 13.7 percent of the vote, followed by the Order and Justice Party (10.7 percent) and the ruling Homeland Union–Lithuanian Christian Democrats (8.4 percent).

The remaining parties would fail to exceed the 5-percent threshold.

The Seimas elections are scheduled for 14 October.