16 June 2004 15:17
Lithuanian Poles, Russians to continue electoral coalition
After their successful beginnings in the elections to the European Parliament on 13 June, the Poles and the Russians
intend to continue their cooperation and stand together in the parliamentary elections which are to take place in
Lithuania in the autumn. Although both minorities did not get any seats in the European elections, they crossed the
required election threshold.
The head of the Poles' Electoral Action in Lithuania, Deputy Waldemar Tomaszewski, explained that after the
introduction in Lithuania in 1996 of a 5 per cent threshold for ethnic minorities the Lithuanian Poles to all intents
and purposes had lost the chance of crossing it. But now, when they stood together in a coalition with the Union of
Lithuania's Russians, they got support of almost 6 per cent.
Officially ethnic minorities in Lithuania constitute 17 per cent of the country's population. The Poles and the
Russians are the largest groups.
[Polish Radio 1] |
RUSSIA IN FACTS
