A left-of-center coalition government took office in Lithuania on December 15, capping complex power-sharing negotiations in the wake of the October parliamentary elections. The coalition includes two mainstream, "establishment" parties, the Social-Democrats and New Union/Social Liberals, governing jointly since 2001; and two populist parties, Labor... MORE

On December 1, Latvian political parties ended a two-month deadlock by concluding a broad-based coalition agreement and programmatic declaration for the new government. The outgoing government, which had resigned in October and stayed on as caretaker, was a minority government of heterogeneous composition. It depended... MORE

On November 9, leaders of the governing bloc Working for Lithuania, a loser in the recent parliamentary elections, signed an agreement with two left-populist parties to form a new parliamentary majority and cabinet of ministers. It is a disharmonious combination of Western-oriented democratic parties --... MORE

Lithuanian Conservative leader Andrius Kubilius made history as prime minister in 1999-2000, when he and the Conservative parliamentary majority kick-started unpopular market economic reforms, at the cost of the party's electoral fortune. But some Conservatives risk jeopardizing those historic gains and diminishing their record if... MORE

As anticipated (see EDM, October 12), the left-leaning Labor Party of Russian-born tycoon Viktor Uspaskikh faltered in the second round of Lithuania's parliamentary elections. After a strong performance in the October 10 vote on party lists, Labor went on to capture only 16 of the... MORE

Preliminary returns from Lithuania's October 10 parliamentary suggest that the traditional parties should be able to isolate the surging populist Labor Party after the elections, instead of entering into potentially risky arrangements with this challenger to the political system. The Labor Party, founded by Russian-born... MORE

Opinion surveys suggest that the newly created, leftist Labor Party will take first place in Lithuania's parliamentary elections on October 10, though it will fall short of gaining a majority. The party leader, Russian-born oligarch Viktor Uspaskikh, will claim the post of prime minister, but... MORE

Lithuania is headed for parliamentary elections on October 10, with some runoffs continuing on October 24. For the third time in less than two years, populist forces are strongly challenging the country's parliamentary democracy, its recently completed market economic system and, indirectly, its full-fledged Western... MORE

Latvia's Prime Minister Indulis Emsis has made an abrupt decision to remove Sandra Kalniete, an internationally respected diplomat, from the post of European Commissioner in Brussels. Emsis wants to free Latvia's seat on the European Commission for Ingrida Udre, chairwoman of the Latvian parliament, and... MORE

The Istanbul summit marked the entry of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania into NATO as full members. In one of the keynote addresses during the summit, Latvia's President Vaira Vike-Freiberga spoke for all the ten countries that joined NATO between 2002 and 2004. She looked back... MORE