Conservatives ahead in Lithuania vote

The results could suggest a lengthy battle for the next government VILNIUS, Lithuania - A conservative opposition party received the most votes in Lithuania's election Sunday, but it was unlikely to match the combined strength of two rival populist groups, an exit poll indicated. The poll, released on Lithuania's TV3 network moments after voting ending, showed the conservative Homeland Union with 21 percent in the Baltic country's parliamentary vote, while two allied populist parties — Order and Justice and the Labor Party — mustered a combined 25 percent. The results could suggest a lengthy battle for the next government, with the conservatives vying with the populists, including impeached former President Rolandas Paksas, for the right to form a coalition. Paksas' Order and Justice party was in second place with 14 percent... [read full story]