Electoral commission may redraw constituencies before 2028 vote

Lithuania’s Central Electoral Commission says constituency boundaries may need to change before the 2028 parliamentary election as voter numbers shift, LRT reported. Its analysis found that voter totals in 11 single-member constituencies currently fall outside the limits set by law.

Seven constituencies have too many voters and four have too few. The Electoral Code says the number of voters in a single-member constituency may not differ by more than 10% from the average across all such constituencies. The permitted range is currently 30,000 to 36,700 voters.

Garliava, Riešė, Raudondvaris, Gargždai, Verkiai, Mėguva and Aleksotas-Vilijampolė exceed the upper limit. Northern Nalšia, Karšuva, Eastern Žiemgala and Vilkaviškis have fewer voters than permitted.

The commission also expects Panemunė and Pašilaičiai to exceed the limit by 2028, while Nevėžis, Northern Žemaitija and Raseiniai-Josvainiai could fall below it. If their voter numbers cross the limits, the commission will have to redraw their boundaries and those of neighboring constituencies.

An analysis by the commission and representatives of Vilnius University’s Department of Geography and Land Management found that voter numbers grew most in constituencies around major cities in the two years after the 2024 election. Riešė gained 3,700 voters, Mėguva 3,300, Garliava 2,600, Verkiai 2,500 and Raudondvaris 2,000.

The largest declines were in Aukštaitija: Western Sėla lost 1,400 voters, Eastern Sėla 1,300 and Nevėžis in Panevėžys 1,300. Voter numbers also fell in other rural constituencies farther from major cities.

The next parliamentary election is expected on October 8, 2028. Under the Electoral Code, constituency boundaries must be set at least a year before election day, by October 8, 2027.