Social Democrats may have rushed Baranov’s candidacy in Nalšia North

Lithuania’s acting Prime Minister and Social Democratic Party (LSDP) leader Mindaugas Sinkevičius has acknowledged that his party may have moved too quickly in nominating MP Ruslanas Baranovas as its candidate in the early parliamentary election for the Nalšia North constituency, LRT reports.

“It was an expressed hope, a consideration that he might take up this candidacy opportunity. But along the way, pressed for time, we didn’t have enough time to properly discuss the situation and perhaps we rushed with R. Baranovas,” Sinkevičius told journalists at the Seimas on Tuesday.

“But I think we have corrected this, and Vladislavas Kondratovičius will be a suitable and appropriate candidate,” he added.

The early election in the single-member Nalšia North constituency is scheduled for 8 November. The ruling Social Democrats had initially planned to field Baranovas, but later announced his candidacy was withdrawn following public criticism, as he had already been elected to the Seimas in a multi-member district.

The LSDP has since named outgoing Interior Minister Vladislavas Kondratovičius as its candidate instead. The by-election was triggered by the death in late May of Liberal Movement MP Jevgenijus Šuklinas, a canoeist and 2024 election winner. The Central Electoral Commission revoked his mandate in early June.

Lithuania’s Electoral Code requires that early elections to fill a vacancy in a single-member constituency be held no later than six months after the mandate ends, unless general elections are due within a year.