Parliamentary elections kick off in Lithuania

VILNIUS, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) — The first round of Lithuania’s parliamentary elections began on Sunday, with voters set to elect 141 members to the Seimas, the country’s unicameral parliament, for a four-year term.
According to the Central Electoral Commission (VRK), 1,740 candidates are competing in the elections.
Polling stations opened at 07:00 (0400 GMT) in the morning and will close at 20:00 (1700 GMT).
In the 141-seat Seimas, 71 members are elected through single-seat constituencies in two rounds of voting, and the remaining 70 members chosen by proportional representation from a single nationwide multi-seat constituency.
To enter the Seimas, a party must receive at least 5 percent of the total votes, while electoral coalitions need a minimum of 7 percent.
In single-seat constituencies, a candidate must secure at least 20 percent of all eligible votes to win outright. If no candidate achieves this threshold, the top two candidates will face a run-off on Oct. 27. ■