Conservatives skip local races in two minority-heavy municipalities

Lithuania’s Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats will not field candidates for mayor or municipal council in Šalčininkai or Visaginas, LRT reported. The party says it has not been able to build strong local teams in either municipality, despite its calls to strengthen the inclusion of regions with large ethnic-minority populations.

The party plans to run mayoral candidates in most of the country’s municipalities. In Švenčionys, it intends to put forward only a municipal council list.

Party leader Laurynas Kasčiūnas told ELTA that the conservatives had failed to form teams in Šalčininkai and Visaginas over several consecutive elections. He said he had visited both places but the party had never held a strong political position there.

Ignas Kalpokas, an associate professor at Vytautas Magnus University, said voters in Šalčininkai district had historically been loyal to other political forces, making it difficult for the conservatives to establish themselves. He also suggested that the party may be conserving campaign resources, since the likely winners in Šalčininkai are often clear in advance.

Party pledges to keep working in the regions

Kalpokas said the conservatives could still seek cooperation with other political groups or support their candidates. He warned that the absence of major national parties from local elections generally weakens local democracy by reducing political competition and making it harder for new leaders to emerge.

Kasčiūnas agreed that strengthening traditional parties in these regions was important for the state. He said the party would continue working to build local structures and engage with communities, promote the state language and address local problems.