Lithuania votes in the 2nd round of its parliamentary election, with change uncertain

This year, for the first time, people aged 21 can also run for a spot in the parliament.

Transcript

00:00Lithuanians are voting in the second and final round of the country's parliamentary elections,

00:07with the Conservative governing party still in contention despite first-round gains from

00:12the left-leaning opposition.

00:14Strict COVID-19 measures during the pandemic, political scandals and an influx of migrants

00:19from neighbouring Belarus have hurt the popularity of the sitting government, which took office

00:24in 2020.

00:26The vote in Lithuania, which borders Russia to the west and Belarus to the east, comes

00:30at a time when Russia's war in Ukraine is fueling greater concerns about Moscow's intentions

00:36in the strategically important Baltic region.

00:39It will set the political tone in the nation for the next four years, but despite a possible

00:44shift to the left, analysts say there won't be a significant change in Lithuania's foreign

00:48policy.

00:51The opposition Social Democrats came out of the first round with an edge two weeks ago,

00:56taking 20 of the first 70 seats to be decided.