Public approval of Skvernelis plummets, support for Democrats party declines

A new public opinion poll shows a sharp decline in favourable ratings for Saulius Skvernelis, a politician linked to a high-profile corruption case, with support for his former party, the Democrats “For Lithuania,” also falling below the parliamentary threshold, LRT reports.

The survey, conducted by Baltijos tyrimai for the ELTA news agency between April 23 and May 7, reveals that only 11% of respondents now view Skvernelis favourably—a drop of 20 percentage points in a month and 40 points compared to May last year. If parliamentary elections were held this weekend, his party would fail to clear the 5% threshold needed to enter the Seimas, with just 3.5% of respondents pledging their vote.

The poll also assessed public perceptions of other prominent figures. Former presidents Valdas Adamkus (77% favourable) and Dalia Grybauskaitė (59%) remained the most positively viewed. Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys (45% favourable vs. 37% unfavourable), MP Valius Ąžuolas (43% vs. 31%), journalist Edmundas Jakilaitis (41% vs. 40%), and National Union leader Vytautas Sinica (32% vs. 30%) also received more positive than negative ratings.

In contrast, over half of respondents held unfavourable views of eight politicians, including Skvernelis (80% unfavourable), professor Vytautas Landsbergis (68%), conservative leader Ingrida Šimonytė (65%), National Revival leader Remigijus Žemaitaitis (55%), TS-LKD chairman Laurynas Kasčiūnas (55%), Liberal Movement leader Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen (54%), Seimas Speaker Juozas Olekas (53%), and Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė (52%).

Party ratings showed little change, with the Social Democrats (LSDP) leading at 12.4%, followed by the Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats (TS-LKD) at 11.4% and the National Revival party at 11.3%. The ruling Farmers and Greens would secure 9.8%, while the Liberal Movement stood at 7.8%.