Poll shows improved ratings for LSDP and Mindaugas Sinkevičius after coalition reshuffle

A new public opinion poll conducted by Spinter tyrimai for the Delfi news portal in June shows a slight improvement in approval ratings for the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP) and designated Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius following the reshuffle of the ruling coalition and the formation of a new government.

According to the survey, if parliamentary elections were held now, the opposition Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats (TS-LKD) would receive the most support, with 16.5% of respondents backing the party (up from 15.5% in May). The ruling LSDP follows with 11.4% support (up from 8.9%), while the opposition Liberal Movement holds 8.5% (up from 7.6%).

The opposition Nemuno aušra party, which recently left the coalition, would receive 5.7% of the vote (down from 6.3%), while the ruling Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union (LVŽS) has 5.5% support (down from 5.7%). Other parties, including the Democratic Union Vardan Lietuvos, which joined the ruling majority, fall below the 5% threshold needed to enter parliament, with 3.4% support (up from 2%).

In the poll, 14% of respondents (down from 15.1%) said they would prefer former Prime Minister and conservative Ingrida Šimonytė as prime minister. Sinkevičius, the new designated prime minister and LSDP leader, follows with 5.6% (up from 1.9%), while Liberal Movement chair Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen has 5.4% (up from 5.3%).

The improvement in LSDP’s rating is not statistically significant, and Sinkevičius’s gain is only slightly above the poll’s 3.1% margin of error.

Other potential prime minister candidates include Nemuno aušra leader Remigijus Žemaitaitis with 4.2% (down from 5.3%), MEP and former LSDP chair Vilija Blinkevičiūtė with 3.6% (up from 3%), and Kaunas Mayor Visvaldas Matijošaitis with 3.4% (up from 3.3%).

Only 16.1% of respondents (down from 16.7%) rated the work of the outgoing government led by Ingrida Ruginienė as positive, while 73.8% (down from 74.2%) viewed it negatively. Meanwhile, 10.8% of respondents said they would not vote (down from 12.1%), and 21.6% were undecided (down from 24.1%).

The poll was conducted between June 18–28 among 1,022 residents aged 18–75, with respondents surveyed by phone and online.