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103-525: Saulius Skvernelis (born 23 July 1970) is a Lithuanian politician who served as prime minister of Lithuania between 2016 and 2020. He had previously served as police commissioner , and was Minister of the Interior from 2014 to 2016. Though he was an independent politician, he was backed by the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union and was a member of its parliamentary group until 2022, as

206-594: A Germanisation of Prussia . The subsequent imperial Russian occupation from 1795 until 1915, with some interpositions such as the French invasion of Russia in 1812, the Uprisings of 1831 and 1863 , accelerated this process of Slavicization. While under Russian occupation, Lithuanians endured Russification , which included the 40-year-long ban on public speaking and writing in Lithuanian (see, e.g., Knygnešiai ,

309-589: A Proto-Balto-Slavic stage, from which Baltic languages retain numerous exclusive and non-exclusive lexical, morphological, phonological and accentual isoglosses in common with the Slavic languages , which represent their closest living Indo-European relatives. Moreover, with Lithuanian being so archaic in phonology, Slavic words can often be deduced from Lithuanian by regular sound laws ; for example, Lith. vilkas and Polish wilk ← PBSl. *wilkás (cf. PSl. *vьlkъ ) ← PIE *wĺ̥kʷos , all meaning " wolf ". When

412-457: A gong ), sekminių ragelis ( bagpipe ) and the pūslinė , a musical bow made from a pig's bladder filled with dried peas. Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union The Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union ( Lithuanian : Lietuvos valstiečių ir žaliųjų sąjunga , LVŽS) is a green-conservative and agrarian political party in Lithuania led by Ramūnas Karbauskis . The party

515-404: A Lithuanian population revealed that Lithuanians are close to both Indo-European and Uralic -speaking populations of Northern Europe. Y-chromosome SNP haplogroup analysis showed Lithuanians to be closest to Latvians , Estonians , Belarusians and southern Finns . This is the result of Iron Age Europe . Autosomal SNP analysis situates Lithuanians most proximal to Latvians , followed by

618-406: A ban on land sales to foreigners. One of the party's main economic goals is to replace the privatization of retirement saving accounts and other welfare programs. After 1991, Lithuania "zealously embraced neoliberal doctrines" and became characterized by one of the lowest levels of social expenditure and the highest levels of poverty and inequality among EU Member States; the pensioners were amongst

721-742: A coalition with the Social Democrats instead. In the subsequent coalition negotiations, it was agreed that Skvernelis would become the prime minister of Lithuania . He was appointed as prime minister by President Dalia Grybauskaitė on 22 November 2016, having been confirmed by the Seimas, and assumed the office on 13 December 2016, when the Seimas approved the program of the Skvernelis Cabinet . His premiership included creation of Child benefit, wage and pensions increase and income tax cuts. The Skvernelis Cabinet teacher pay reform led to

824-705: A commitment to establishing a "strong family" as the core of Lithuanian society. It also strongly praises the Catholic Church and its teachings, and opposes abortion , same-sex partnerships and assisted reproductive technologies on the basis of the Catholic faith. Despite this, in the twelfth Seimas , the LVŽS was a big tent in regards to social issues, and some of its members such as Dovilė Šakalienė and Tomas Tomilinas were strong supporters of feminism, minority rights and civil partnerships for same-sex couples. Since

927-428: A decision was made, or with what we have offended Your Lordship so much that Your Lordship has deservedly been directed against us, creating hardship for us everywhere. First of all, you made and announced a decision about the land of Samogitia , which is our inheritance and our homeland from the legal succession of the ancestors and elders. We still own it, it is and has always been the same Lithuanian land, because there

1030-521: A heavy Lithuanian presence. Lithuanians in the early 20th century were among the thinnest people in the developed countries of the world. In Lithuanian cuisine there is some emphasis on attractive presentation of freshly prepared foods. Lithuania has been brewing midus , a type of Lithuanian mead for thousands of years. Locally brewed beer ( alus ), vodka ( degtinė ), and kvass ( gira ) are popular drinks in Lithuania. Lithuanian traditional beer of Northern Lithuania, Biržai , Pasvalys regions

1133-604: A left-wing populist one, full of eclectic tendencies. Starting out as the farmer-focused Lithuanian Peasant Union ( Lithuanian : Lietuvos Valstiečių Sąjunga ) in the early 1990s, LVŽS was later renamed the Lithuanian Peasant Party ( Lithuanian : Lietuvos valstiečių partija ) and started broadening its program beyond agricultural issues, joining forces with the Lithuanian Women Party ( Lithuanian : Lietuvos moterų partija ) in 1995. In

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1236-664: A majority of the population not only in what is now Lithuania , but also in northwestern Belarus , in large areas of the territory of the modern Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia, and in some parts of modern Latvia and Poland. In 1940, Lithuania was invaded and occupied by the Soviet Union , and forced to join it as the Lithuanian SSR . The Germans and their allies attacked the USSR in June 1941, and from 1941 to 1944, Lithuania

1339-406: A priority task for the new government. Recognising that the economic cause of high unemployment and emigration is relatively low wages, we will take swift and effective measures to increase the income of the population, while at the same time striving to ensure an adequate social safety net." Accentuating the agrarianism of the party, the program also put heavy importance on "preserving the vitality of

1442-684: A result of which he became the first head of government in European history primarily backed by a green party (a green conservative party). In 2022, he formed his own political party, the Union of Democrats "For Lithuania" , and he is currently a member of the Seimas , as well as his party's chairman. He is the Speaker of the Seimas since 14 November 2024. Born in Kaunas , Skvernelis graduated from

1545-490: A single seat. In 2024 Lithuanian parliamentary election the party ran as a joint list with several politicians from the parties Young Lithuania and Lithuania – For Everyone . It caused the Central Election Commission to designate 7 per cent threshold for this party to obtain seats in multi-member constituency. LVŽS passed electoral threshold with just more than 250 votes. After the election joined

1648-488: A split in the parliamentary group in late summer and early autumn of 2021, and former Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis formed the newly established Union of Democrats "For Lithuania" (although this split was speculated by the pundits as early as March 2021). Due to this and the Social Democratic Party's position not to support the opposition coalition, the party lost the position of opposition leader. By

1751-443: A stuffed potato creation, is the most popular national dish. It is popular among Lithuanians all over the world. Other national foods include dark rye bread , cold beet soup (šaltibarščiai), and kugelis (a baked potato pudding). Some of these foods are also common in neighboring countries. Lithuanian cuisine is generally unknown outside Lithuanian communities. Most Lithuanian restaurants outside Lithuania are located in cities with

1854-597: A surprisingly large victory in the 2016 election . The party won 22.45% of votes in the nationwide constituency (finishing close second to the Homeland Union ), but finished with 54 of the 141 seats in the Seimas, thanks to strong performances in single-member constituencies. Skvernelis was elected to the Seimas in the single-member constituency of Karoliniškės in Vilnius . As the Farmers and Greens had never held

1957-429: A total ban on alcohol advertising and establishing a state monopoly on alcohol trade. The party is also strongly pro-union, and was praised for improving social dialogue between the state and the unions, and implementing a number of union-favourable collective agreements in the public sector. It also promotes public awareness and the visibility of trade unions, and encourages workers to join them. The party also postulated

2060-440: A variety of influences during the country's rich history. Since shared similarities in history and heritage, Lithuanians, Jews and Poles have developed many similar dishes and beverages: dumplings ( koldūnai ), doughnuts ( spurgos ), and crepes ( lietiniai blynai ). German traditions also influenced Lithuanian cuisine, introducing pork and potato dishes, such as potato pudding ( kugelis ) and potato sausages ( vėdarai ), as well as

2163-716: Is one language and the same inhabitants. But since the land of Samogitia is located lower than the land of Lithuania , it is called as Samogitia, because in Lithuanian it is called lower land [ Žemaitija ]. And the Samogitians call Lithuania as Aukštaitija , that is, from the Samogitian point of view, a higher land. Also, the people of Samogitia have long called themselves Lithuanians and never – Samogitians, and because of such identity ( sic ) we do not write about Samogitia in our letter, because everything

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2266-435: Is also described as technocratic and agrarian populist. The rhetoric of the party is based on left-wing populism, prioritizing socioeconomic issues and establishing itself as the representative of the disadvantaged groups of Lithuanian society. Its voter base is composed of rural areas and small towns, and its supporters are mainly the poor, disadvantaged and anti-establishment voters. It criticizes other partes for neglecting

2369-408: Is considered one of the main representatives of the left wing of Lithuanian politics. Lithuanian journalist Virgis Valentinavičius described the party as "the mixture of the extreme left in economic matters and the extreme right in some social issues, all spiced up with an anti-establishment rhetoric of radical change". Following the 2020 parliamentary election , the LVŽS has been in opposition to

2472-476: Is considered to be a blend of staunchly left-wing economic policy, environmentalism, and a conservative outlook on some sociocultural issues. Economically, the party focuses on the importance of expanded healthcare and social welfare, whereas socially the party campaigns on traditional and Christian values and the need to stop the moral decay of contemporary society. Its economic ideology has been described as social-democratic, or akin to social democracy. The party

2575-645: Is generally considered Lithuania's founder. The Lithuanians are the only branch of Baltic people that managed to create a state entity before the modern era . During the Late Middle Ages , Lithuania was ravaged by the Lithuanian Crusade , which ended only by the Treaty of Melno in 1422. In fact, the crusade persisted after the definite Christianization of Lithuania in 1387, when Europe's last pagan people were baptised. Simultaneously,

2678-401: Is less conservative on some other social matters - it postulates increased psychological services availability, old-age pensions rise, significant climate action via preservation, agricultural reform against large landowners, and environmental education. The party is regarded as moderate in its social conservatism. Throughout its existence, the party has evolved from a purely agrarian party to

2781-414: Is one of Lithuania's key problems, contrasting the prosperity of Vilnius and the urban middle class with the impoverished Lithuanian countryside, struggling with high unemployment and lack of prospects. In its ideological manifesto "The Government Program for Sustainable Lithuania" ( Lithuanian : Darnios Lietuvos Vyriausybės programa ), LVŽS declared: "Addressing regional poverty and exclusion must become

2884-576: Is one: one country and the same inhabitants." — Vytautas the Great , excerpt from his 11 March 1420 Latin letter sent to Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor , in which he described the core of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania , composed from Žemaitija (lowlands) and Aukštaitija (highlands). Term Aukštaitija is known since the 13th century. The territory inhabited by the ethnic Lithuanians has shrunk over centuries; once Lithuanians made up

2987-519: Is popular among Lithuanians in Lithuania as well as in the diasporic communities. Basketball came to Lithuania through the Lithuanian-American community in the 1930s. Lithuanian basketball teams were bronze medal winners in the 1992 , 1996 , and 2000 Summer Olympics . Joninės (also known as Rasos ) is a traditional national holiday, celebrated on the summer solstice. It has pagan origins. Užgavėnės ( Shrove Tuesday ) takes place on

3090-408: Is well appreciated in Lithuania and abroad. Starka is a part of the Lithuanian heritage, still produced in Lithuania. Among Indo-European languages , Lithuanian is conservative in its grammar and phonology, retaining archaic features otherwise found only in ancient languages such as Sanskrit (particularly its early form, Vedic Sanskrit ) or Ancient Greek . Thus, it is an important source for

3193-569: The 2014 Lithuanian constitutional referendum , which sought to prohibit the ownership of land in Lithuania to foreign citizens, in violation of Lithuania's terms of membership in the European Union . Karbauskis opposed Lithuania's accession to the European Union before 2004, although the party emphasized its pro-Europeanism during the 2016 campaign. Between 2012 and 2016, the party also adopted right-wing views on social issues. In

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3296-449: The 2016 Lithuanian parliamentary election , the main message of LVŽS was the need to fight poverty and social exclusion, for which the party blamed economic liberalism and pro-business policies by previous Lithuanian governments. Economically, the party is described as 'extreme-left' and strongly populist, presenting itself as a party of ordinary people. It is described as social democratic economically. LVŽS argues that wealth inequality

3399-476: The 2024 European Parliament election in Lithuania and aimed to win 3 seats in the European Parliament , up from 2 that it won in the 2019 European Parliament election in Lithuania . It toned down its populist and socially conservative stances and reoriented itself closer to environmentalism and green politics. However, the party won 9.13% of the popular vote (down from 12.56% in 2019) and only won

3502-536: The Case of Drąsius Kedys . As General Commissioner, he approved the transfer of Kedys' daughter to her biological mother in 17 May 2012, in a police raid in which 240 police officers were involved and force was reportedly used against protestors attempting to stop the transfer. Skvernelis was reportedly threatened with dismissal by members of the incumbent government, but went ahead with the operation regardless. Dailis Alfonsas Barakauskas  [ lt ] , delegated by

3605-714: The European Conservatives and Reformists in 2024. In December 2001, the Lithuanian Peasants Party ( Lietuvos valstiečių partija ) and the New Democratic Party ( Naujosios demokratijos partija ) entered into an electoral alliance known as the " Valstiečių ir Naujosios demokratijos partijų sąjunga " (VNDS), which translates to the Peasants and New Democratic Party Union or Union of Peasants and New Democratic Parties

3708-607: The Homeland Union-led government . The Lithuanian Peasants Popular Union changed its name to the Lithuanian Peasants and Greens Union in January 2012. The party emerged as a dark horse in the electoral race in the spring of 2016. The rise of support was attributed to the popularity of Karbauskis, who had been active in campaigning against alcohol, and their lack of involvement in political scandals. LVŽS

3811-539: The Lithuanian Peasant Popular Union (after the pre-war Lithuanian Popular Peasants' Union ). In 2008 parliamentary election the party felt below 5 per cent threshold and was left with three members, who were elected in single-member constituencies. In 2009 Kazimira Prunskienė left the party and founded the party of her own (Lithuanian People's Party). Although the party was minor one, it gained some influence in 2010, when it supported

3914-725: The Lithuanian Wars of Independence . However, a third of Lithuania's lands, namely the Vilnius Region , as well as its declared capital, fell under Polish occupation during the Interwar . A standardised Lithuanian language was approved. In the lead-up to the World War II, the Klaipėda Region was occupied by Nazi Germany after the 1939 German ultimatum to Lithuania . "We do not know on whose merits or guilt such

4017-471: The Order and Justice party as Minister of the Interior , became complicit in a corruption scandal in late 2014 and chose to resign. Order and Justice tapped Skvernelis as his replacement, despite him not being a member of the party, and he accepted. On 5 November 2014, President Dalia Grybauskaitė appointed Skvernelis as Minister of the Interior, with the Seimas confirming the appointment on 11 November. From

4120-548: The Social Democratic Labour Party in late 2017. A new coalition agreement was signed, but the cabinet was only left with 69 seats of 141 and became a minority government . The cabinet regained its majority in 2019 - according to the Constitution of Lithuania , the incumbent government must be reaffirmed after a presidential election , and Skvernelis thus held negotiations with minor parties in

4223-664: The Social Democratic Party of Lithuania to join. Brazauskas initially ruled out a coalition with Labour, but eventually Social Democrats and New Union (Social Liberals) joined forces with the Labour Party and the Peasants, with Brazauskas as the Prime Minister. In February 2006, the Peasants and New Democratic Party Union led by Lithuanian politician Kazimiera Prunskienė chose to rename itself

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4326-624: The Vilnius County . Especially large Polish communities are located in the Vilnius District Municipality and the Šalčininkai District Municipality . Despite being the capital, Vilnius was not the largest city by number of Lithuanians until mid-2000s. According to the 2011 census Vilnius had 337,000 Lithuanians while Kaunas – 316,000. Russians, even though they are almost as numerous as Poles, are much more evenly scattered. The most prominent community lives in

4429-647: The Vilnius Technical University in 1994 and started working at the Lithuania Police Academy . In 1998, Skvernelis started his career in the Lithuanian law enforcement system, working as a traffic police inspector in Trakai District Municipality . Gradually rising through the ranks, he was appointed General Commissioner of Police of Lithuania on 7 March 2011. In this position, he played a role in

4532-693: The Visaginas Municipality (52%). Most of them are workers who moved from Russia to work at the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant . A number of ethnic Russians left Lithuania after the declaration of independence in 1990. In the past, the ethnic composition of Lithuania has varied dramatically. The most prominent change was the extermination of the Jewish population during the Holocaust . Before World War II, about 7.5% of

4635-435: The ban against printing the Lithuanian language was lifted in 1904, various European literary movements such as Symbolism , impressionism , and expressionism each in turn influenced the work of Lithuanian writers. The first period of Lithuanian independence (1918–1940) gave them the opportunity to examine themselves and their characters more deeply, as their primary concerns were no longer political. An outstanding figure of

4738-711: The baroque tree cake known as šakotis . Traditional dishes of Lithuanian Tatars and Lithuanian Karaites like Kibinai and čeburekai , that are similar to pasty , are popular in Lithuania. For Lithuanian Americans both traditional Lithuanian dishes of virtinukai (cabbage and noodles) and balandėliai (rolled cabbage) are growing increasingly more popular. There are also regional cuisine dishes, e.g. traditional kastinys in Žemaitija , Western Lithuania, Skilandis in Western and Central Lithuania, Kindziukas in Eastern and Southern Lithuania ( Dzūkija ). Cepelinai ,

4841-580: The Šimonytė Cabinet . The party's two MEPs sit in the Greens–European Free Alliance group in the European Parliament. Founded in 2001 as the Lithuanian Peasant Popular Union , (Lithuanian: Lietuvos valstiečių liaudininkų sąjunga , LVLS), the party's symbol since 2012 has been the white stork . Formerly participating in the European Parliament group of the Greens–European Free Alliance , it announced its intention to join

4944-554: The 14th century, corresponding to the establishment of Ashkenazi settlements in response to the invitation extended by Vytautas the Great in 1388. At the end of the 19th century, the average height of males was 163.5 cm (5 ft 4 in) and the average height of females was 153.3 cm (5 ft 0 in). By the end of the 20th century, heights averaged 181.3 cm (5 ft 11 in) for males and 167.5 cm (5 ft 6 in) for females. Lithuanian settlement extends into adjacent countries that are now outside

5047-425: The 2016 parliamentary election has been compared to the victory of Donald Trump in the 2016 United States presidential election . According to Virgis Valentinavičius , both Trump and Karbauskis constructed a narrative of 'us against them', opposing themselves against the elite, in spite of both being among the wealthiest people in their respective countries, and both also shifted the blame for their early scandals to

5150-456: The 2020 election, the party has increasingly turned socially conservative , especially after its more liberal members of the Seimas joined the Union of Democrats "For Lithuania" . The party's vice-chairman Tomas Tomilinas was expelled from the party in 2021 for voting in favor of same-sex partnerships. Given the social conservatism of the LVŽS and its emphasis on Christian values, traditional family and preservation of national identity, its rule

5253-638: The Aryans (1892): "Thus it would seem that the Lithuanians have the best claim to represent the primitive Aryan race , as their language exhibits fewer of those phonetic changes, and of those grammatical losses which are consequent on the acquirement of a foreign speech." The Proto-Balto-Slavic language branched off directly from Proto-Indo-European, then sub-branched into Proto-Baltic and Proto-Slavic . Proto-Baltic branched off into Proto-West Baltic and Proto-East Baltic. Baltic languages passed through

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5356-568: The Grand Duchy of Lithuania on the idea of their national singularity or uniqueness and considered the Grand Duchy of Lithuania as an independent country. There is a current argument that the Lithuanian language was considered non-prestigious enough by some elements in Lithuanian society, meaning that the number of Lithuanian language-speakers decreased with Polonization in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth , as well as

5459-796: The Kaliningrad Oblast, but their number is small compared to what they used to be. Lithuania regained its independence in 1990, and was recognized by most countries in 1991. It became a member of the European Union on May 1, 2004. Among the Baltic states , Lithuania has the most homogeneous population. According to the census conducted in 2001, 83.45% of the population identified themselves as ethnic Lithuanians, 6.74% as Poles , 6.31% as Russians , 1.23% as Belarusians , and 2.27% as members of other ethnic groups such as Ukrainians , Jews , Germans , Tatars , Latvians , Romani , Estonians , Crimean Karaites etc. Poles are mostly concentrated in

5562-564: The Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union and the Labour Party signed a coalition agreement that gave the needed number of members of Seimas for the parties to appoint the opposition leader to the Seimas' Board. On 25 March 2021 Skvernelis was appointed to this position. He remained in this position until mid-September 2021. In late 2021, Skvernelis left the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union political group in Seimas and formed

5665-548: The Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union became one of the main three political parties in Lithuania (along with the Homeland Union and the Social Democratic Party) at the time. After these elections, various pundits claimed that the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union could form a coalition with the Homeland Union, but Ramūnas Karbauskis proposed wide coalition between the aforementioned parties and

5768-490: The Lithuanian Union of Peasants and Greens, after its leader Ramūnas Karbauskis steered the party towards green politics , strongly promoting renewable energy and campaigning against nuclear power plants. This led the party to combine both agricultural interests and elements of green politics, which at the time was condemned as a 'somewhat schizophrenic' political mix. At the same time, led by Karbauskis, it initiated

5871-584: The Lithuanian countryside". LVŽS defines an economy that would prioritize the 'common man' as its goal, emphasizing the need to implement worker-friendly reforms in healthcare and education, a significant increase in wages and pensions, and the drastic revision of Lithuania's labour code, which the party has denounced as pro-business. The party has pledged to create a state-owned pharmacy network and sharply reduce drug prices, and initiated an anti-alcohol campaign, which it implemented by increasing excise duty on alcohol, raising minimum drinking age to 20, introducing

5974-461: The Lithuanian state reached its apogee under the rule of Vytautas the Great ( r.   1392–1430), when it ruled the lands between the Baltic and Black seas. Thereafter, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania continued existing until 1795, however, since the Union of Lublin in 1569, it maintained its independence in the bi-confederal Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth . In the 16th century the Lithuanian humanists based the national consciousness of

6077-622: The Seimas Loreta Graužinienė and President Grybauskaitė during his term. By 2016, Skvernelis had become one of the most popular politicians in Lithuania. As a result, he was approached by several political parties, including the Liberal Movement , the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania and Order and Justice , to join their party or participate in their electoral list in the 2016 parliamentary election . However, he refused their offers and announced he would participate in

6180-513: The Seimas after the 2019 Lithuanian presidential election . The Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania and the parliamentary group "For the Welfare of Lithuania" ( Lithuanian : Frakcija „Lietuvos gerovei“ ), made up of former members of the Order and Justice party, joined the coalition. However, Skvernelis only retained a majority for four months - on 13 January 2020, the "For the Welfare of Lithuania" parliamentary group disbanded, as it lost

6283-708: The Seimas after the inclusion of a new coalition member, thus the Constitutional Court of Lithuania ruled that this action violated the Constitution. However, the ruling would not be officially announced until December 23 in order to allow the government to finish serving its term. On 17 January 2019, Skvernelis announced his candidacy for the presidency . In the first round of the presidential election he came third. After his poor showing Skvernelis announced that he would resign from position of prime minister, but later retracted his remarks. In March 2021

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6386-427: The Seimas in support of him remaining in the post, initiated by Petras Gražulis , gathered the signatures of a majority of the parliament. Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius refused his resignation on 30 November. During the 2015 European migrant crisis , Skvernelis criticised anti-migrant rhetoric, but also expressed scepticism towards the European Union 's policy of migrant quotas. He conflicted with Speaker of

6489-454: The Social Democratic Party of Lithuania, which lasted until the autumn of 2017. The party's support gradually declined by 2018 (e. g. in 2019 European Parliament election the party got 11.92 per cent of the votes), although due to the rally 'round the flag effect (caused by the COVID-19 pandemic ), its support rebounded. In the 2020 parliamentary election the party won 18.07 per cent of

6592-474: The Social Democratic Party. The Homeland Union's leader Gabrielius Landsbergis himself proposed a coalition between the Homeland Union, the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union and the Liberal Movement , although both Ramūnas Karbauskis and the Liberal Movement's leader Eugenijus Gentvilas turned down this offer. Eventually, a coalition was formed between the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union and

6695-446: The Social Democrats due to poor election results, a leadership election was held on April 22, 2017, and was won by Gintautas Paluckas , who questioned the benefit of the coalition agreement with the Farmers and Greens. Against the wishes of its parliamentary group, the party leadership voted to terminate the coalition agreement, but only five of the party's 17 members followed the party's decision. The remaining parliamentarians established

6798-855: The United States and Israel. Now there are about 3,200 Jews living in Lithuania. Apart from the various religious and ethnic groups currently residing in Lithuania, Lithuanians themselves retain and differentiate between their regional identities; there are 5 historic regional groups: Žemaičiai , Suvalkiečiai , Aukštaičiai , Dzūkai and Prūsai , the last of which is virtually extinct. City dwellers are usually considered just Lithuanians, especially ones from large cities such as Vilnius or Kaunas . The four groups are delineated according to certain region-specific traditions, dialects, and historical divisions. There are some stereotypes used in jokes about these subgroups, for example, Sudovians are supposedly frugal while Samogitians are stubborn. Since

6901-626: The actions against the Catholic Church). In such a context, the Lithuanian National Revival began in the 19th century. Some believed at the time that the Lithuanian nation as such, along with its language, would become extinct within a few generations. Some of the Polish- and Belarusian-speaking persons from the lands of the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania expressed their affiliation with the modern Lithuanian nation in

7004-420: The agreement with LSDP to form a governmenton 15 October. In the end, Dawn of Nemunas was chosen a third party of coalition, thus leaving LVŽS in opposition. Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union is placed on the left of Lithuanian political spectrum, although with strong left-wing populist and left-conservative tendencies. The party is described as green conservative , agrarian and social conservative and

7107-483: The anti-communist movements, and thousands of Latin crosses were placed on the Hill of Crosses near Šiauliai , despite its being bulldozed in 1961. Lithuanian folk music is based around songs ( dainos ), which include romantic and wedding songs, as well as work songs and archaic war songs. These songs used to be performed either in groups or alone, and in parallel chords or unison . Duophonic songs are common in

7210-459: The beginning of his term as Minister, Skvernelis enjoyed high approval ratings. However, he nearly resigned in 20 November 2015 after an incident in Vilnius, in which Igor Molotkov, a Russian-speaking inhabitant of Vilnius arrested by Lithuanian police, escaped out of a police vehicle with a stolen AK-47 and roamed the city for several hours until he was detained again. An action among members of

7313-440: The biggest teacher strike in Lithuania's history. His Government had also introduced measures that reduced freedom of the press. Skvernelis is considered a pragmatic politician (opportunist by his critics) who doesn't have a clear political ideology. On 14 February 2018, appearing at an LGBT rally in Vilnius, Skvernelis called on the Seimas to recognise same-sex partnerships. As Algirdas Butkevičius chose to resign as chairman of

7416-501: The centuries, and especially under the Grand Duchy of Lithuania , some of these tribes consolidated into the Lithuanian nation, mainly as a defence against the marauding Teutonic Order and Eastern Slavs . The Lithuanian state was formed in the High Middle Ages , with different historians dating this variously between the 11th and mid-13th centuries. Mindaugas , Lithuania's only crowned king and its first baptised ruler,

7519-503: The day before Ash Wednesday , and is meant to urge the retreat of winter. There are also national traditions for Christian holidays such as Easter and Christmas . Lithuanian cuisine has much in common with other European cuisines and features the products suited to its cool and moist northern climate: barley, potatoes, rye, beets, greens, and mushrooms are locally grown, and dairy products are one of its specialties. Nevertheless, it has its own distinguishing features, which were formed by

7622-553: The early 2000s, the Lithuanian Peasant Party was becoming increasingly left-wing, leading to the change of its name to the Lithuanian Peasant People’s Party ( Lithuanian : Lietuvos valstiečių liaudininkų partija ) in 2005, which was to highlight both the leftwards turn of the party and to connect itself to the interwar peasant movements in Lithuania. In 2012, the party was renamed again to

7725-487: The early 20th century was Vincas Krėvė-Mickevičius , a novelist and dramatist. His many works include Dainavos šalies senų žmonių padavimai (Old Folks Tales of Dainava , 1912) and the historical dramas Šarūnas (1911), Skirgaila (1925), and Mindaugo mirtis (The Death of Mindaugas , 1935). Petras Vaičiūnas was another popular playwright, producing one play each year during the 1920s and 1930s. Vincas Mykolaitis-Putinas wrote lyric poetry, plays, and novels, including

7828-423: The early 20th century, including Michał Pius Römer , Stanisław Narutowicz , Oscar Milosz and Tadas Ivanauskas In February 1918, while World War I was ongoing, the re-establishment of an independent Lithuanian state was declared , 122 years after it was destroyed. In the aftermath of World War I , Lithuanians militarily defended their country's independence from Poland , Whites and Soviet Russia during

7931-474: The electoral list of the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union , a party with only one seat in the outgoing parliament, in March 2016. As the Farmers and Greens were a part of the opposition, he was forced to resign as Minister of the Interior and was replaced by Tomas Žilinskas  [ lt ] . Although not a member of the party, Skvernelis headed the electoral list of the Farmers and Greens, leading them to

8034-557: The end of 2021, the party started losing members in municipalities' districts (e. g. Lazdijai district municipality mayor Ausma Miškinienė left it along with the almost all LVŽS members in the area). Aurelijus Veryga , Minister of Health in Skvernelis' cabinet, was put forward as the party's candidate in the 2024 presidential election . In his electoral program, Veryga emphasized his support for traditional values and opposition to same-sex partnerships . The party participated in

8137-525: The expense of vulnerable socioeconomic groups. The main focus of the party is "social solidarity and left-wing ideas". It criticizes right-leaning parties for anti-Russian sentiment as well as following the traditional division into "ex-communists and anti-communists". The LVŽS to be neither post-communist nor anti-communist. Socially, the party makes somewhat conservative appeals, pledging to uphold 'traditional' values, fight against alcohol and for "sober way of living", and protecting Lithuanian language. It

8240-535: The late Neolithic period the native inhabitants of the Lithuanian territory have not been replaced by migrations from outside, so there is a high probability that the inhabitants of present-day Lithuania have preserved the genetic composition of their forebears relatively undisturbed by the major demographic movements, although without being actually isolated from them. The Lithuanian population appears to be relatively homogeneous, without apparent genetic differences among ethnic subgroups. A 2004 analysis of mtDNA in

8343-475: The late 19th century, including the concertina , accordion and bandoneon . Sutartinė can be accompanied by skudučiai , a form of panpipes played by a group of people, as well as wooden trumpets ( ragai and dandytės ). Kanklės is an extremely important folk instrument, which differs in the number of strings and performance techniques across the country. Other traditional instruments include švilpas whistle, drums and tabalas (a percussion instrument like

8446-479: The majority of Lithuanians have been members of the Roman Catholic Church . According to the 2021 census, 74% of Lithuanians are Roman Catholic. Under Article 26 of the Constitution of Lithuania , persons can freely practice a religion of their choosing. Catholicism played a significant role in Lithuanian anti-communist resistance under the Soviet Union . Several Catholic priests were leaders of

8549-414: The media and the conspiracy of the establishment. In December 2023, the party took part in a meeting called "The family of European Conservatives is expanding" organized by the European Conservatives and Reformists . In the 2024 European Parliament election in Lithuania , the party focused on the environmental issues and promoted green politics, and toned down its socially conservative policies. After

8652-529: The minimum required number of seven members to continue existing. The defector, Kęstutis Bartkevičius  [ lt ] , reportedly left due to being passed over for a minister position. On May 7, 2020, the Christian Union (consisting of 2 former members of the Homeland Union) expressed their support to the government. The Constitution requires the coalition programme to be reapproved by

8755-604: The modern Lithuanian state. A small Lithuanian community exists in the vicinity of Puńsk and Sejny in the Suwałki area of Poland, an area associated with the Lithuanian writer and cleric Antanas Baranauskas . Although most of the Lithuanian inhabitants in the region of Lithuania Minor that formed part of East Prussia were expelled when the area was annexed by the Soviet Union as the Kaliningrad Oblast , small groups of Lithuanians subsequently settled that area as it

8858-635: The needs of the poor. The LVŽS is not a protest party however - it actively works with other parties and form cabinets. The party appeals to traditional left-wing electorate by stressing the need to reduce social inequality, invest in impoverished areas, and increase minimum wage. It strongly supports trade unions and promotes a union-favourable labor law, demands progressive taxation, and redistribution of wealth from "business interests" to "the people". The party campaigns on opposition to neoliberal policies, accusing other parties of "out-liberalizing" each other in pursuit of "avant-garde neoliberal policy ideas" at

8961-761: The novel Altorių šešėly (In the Shadows of the Altars, 3 vol., 1933), a remarkably powerful autobiographical novel. Keturi vėjai movement started with publication of The Prophet of the Four Winds by talented poet Kazys Binkis (1893—1942). It was rebellion against traditional poetry. The theoretical basis of Keturi vėjai initially was futurism which arrived through Russia from the West and later cubism , dadaism , surrealism , unanimism , and German expressionism . The most influensive futurist for Lithuanian writers

9064-431: The plurality of seats, a coalition with either the Homeland Union or the Social Democrats was considered. After a grand coalition was dismissed by party leaders, the right wing of the Homeland Union, represented by Žygimantas Pavilionis , Audronius Ažubalis , Paulius Saudargas , Agnė Bilotaitė and others, pressured Gabrielius Landsbergis to form a coalition with the party. However, the Farmers and Greens chose to form

9167-574: The political group Democrats "For Lithuania". On 29 January 2022 he formed his own party, Union of Democrats "For Lithuania" , and was elected its first chairman. Lithuanians The territory of the Balts, including modern Lithuania, was once inhabited by several Baltic tribal entities ( Aukštaitians , Sudovians , Old Lithuanians, Curonians , Semigallians , Selonians , Samogitians , Skalvians , Old Prussians ( Nadruvians )), as attested by ancient sources and dating from prehistoric times. Over

9270-449: The poorest voting constituencies of Lithuania. LVŽS appealed to the impoverished pensioners for political support and pledged to restructure and nationalize the "second pillar" pension program. The party's plan "mobilized a number of powerful and vocal constituencies such as the banking, life insurance, private pension fund industries, as well as business lobbying groups that had high stakes in pension reform." The party's program emphasises

9373-525: The population was Jewish ; they were concentrated in cities and towns and had a significant influence on crafts and business. They were called Litvaks and had a strong culture. The population of Vilnius, which was sometimes nicknamed the northern Jerusalem , was about 30% Jewish. Almost all its Jews were killed during the Holocaust in Nazi-occupied Lithuania , some 75,000 alone between the years 1941 – 1942, while others later immigrated to

9476-483: The reconstruction of the Proto-Indo-European language despite its late attestation (with the earliest texts dating only to c.  1500 A.D. , whereas Ancient Greek was first written down in c.  1450 B.C. ). There was fascination with the Lithuanian people and their language among the late 19th-century researchers, and the philologist Isaac Taylor wrote the following in his The Origin of

9579-486: The renowned sutartinės tradition of Aukštaitija . Another style of Lithuanian folk music is called rateliai , a kind of round dance . Instrumentation includes kanklės , a kind of zither that accompanies sutartinės, rateliai, waltzes , quadrilles and polkas , and fiddles , (including a bass fiddle called the basetle ) and a kind of whistle called the Lamzdeliai lumzdelis ; recent importations, beginning in

9682-531: The second position (21.25 per cent), but she was defeated in the second round (although, after endorsement of Rolandas Paksas). In 2004 European Parliament election , the party got 7.41 per cent of the votes and won one seat by Gintaras Didžiokas . He joined the Union for Europe of the Nations . In Seimas election later tahat same year , the party got 6.6 per cent of the votes. The Labour Party joined forces with Peasants and New Democratic Party Union and invited

9785-610: The vote and 32 parliamentary seats. The party has been in opposition since 2020. After the elections, Ramūnas Karbauskis resigned from his parliamentary seat. After the electoral loss the party (along with the Labour Party) began to support various radical movements on the political fringes (e. g. Families' Defense March and the Lithuanian Family Movement ). This position caused disagreements within party and its parliamentary group. Disagreements had forced

9888-405: The westernmost East Slavs ; furthermore, Germans and West Slavs (especially Poles ) are situated more proximal to Lithuanians than Finns and northern Russians. Lithuanian Ashkenazi Jews display a number of unique genetic characteristics; the utility of these variations has been the subject of debate. One variation, which is implicated in familial hypercholesterolemia , has been dated to

9991-577: Was Russian poet Vladimir Mayakovsky . Oskaras Milašius (1877–1939) is a paradoxical and interesting phenomenon in Lithuanian culture. He never lived in Lithuania but was born and spent his childhood in Cereja (near Mogilev , Belarus ) and graduated from Lycée Janson de Sailly in Paris. His longing for his fatherland was more metaphysical. Having to choose between two conflicting countries — Lithuania and Poland — he preferred Lithuania which for him

10094-564: Was an idea even more than a fatherland. In 1920 when France recognized the independence of Lithuania, he was appointed officially as Chargé d'Affaires for Lithuania. He published: 1928, a collection of 26 Lithuanian songs; 1930, Lithuanian Tales and Stories ; 1933, Lithuanian Tales ; 1937, The origin of the Lithuanian Nation . Since the Christianization of parts of Lithuania proper in 1387 and of Samogitia in 1413,

10197-485: Was compared to that of Polish Law and Justice or Hungarian Fidesz . However, unlike these parties, LVŽS did not mark a break with the liberal course of the European Union. Ukrainian political scientist Nataliya Khoma argues that the social conservatism of the party is moderate, stating that LVŽS "bypassed the issue of sexual minority rights" and despite promoting conservative values, the party did not adopt "a radical platform that exacerbates this issue". LVŽS's success in

10300-476: Was formed. In 2002–03 Lithuanian presidential election party's chairman Kazimira Prunskienė came with 5.04 per cent of the votes in the first round and saved its deposit. In the second round, she endorsed Rolandas Paksas of the Liberal Democratic Party , who won the election. In the 2004 presidential election (after Rolandas Paksas was impeached), Kazimira Prunskienė narrowly came to

10403-523: Was further boosted by the announcement that Saulius Skvernelis , a Minister of Interior in Butkevičius Cabinet and one of the most popular politicians in Lithuania, would head the party's electoral list in the elections, without joining the party. After successful performance in the 2016 parliamentary elections , a clarification about its English name format was issued, changing it to Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union . Also, after these election

10506-502: Was occupied by Germany. The Germans retreated in 1944, and Lithuania fell under Soviet rule once again. The long-standing communities of Lithuanians in the Kaliningrad Oblast ( Lithuania Minor ) were almost destroyed as a result. The Lithuanian nation as such remained primarily in Lithuania, few villages in northeastern Poland, southern Latvia and also in the diaspora of emigrants. Some indigenous Lithuanians still remain in Belarus and

10609-464: Was repopulated with new Soviet citizens. Small groups of Lithuanians are still present in Belarus within the Grodno and Vitebsk regions . Apart from the traditional communities in Lithuania and its neighboring countries, Lithuanians have emigrated to other continents during the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. The Lithuanian national sport is usually considered to be basketball ( krepšinis ), which

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