During the first round of parliamentary elections, tens of thousands of voters purposely spoiled ballots. Would-be voters brushed away party lists and the names of the candidates, and expressed their collective outrage in writing, lrt.lt reported on the 17 October.
According to preliminary data, during the first round of elections, nearly 77.9 thousand voters, or 5.7% of all who came to express their views in single-member constituencies, spoiled ballot papers.
However, in multi-member constituencies the number of invalid ballots was lower – 4.23%, or nearly 57.7 thousand. Meanwhile, 43.8 thousand of voters, or 3.23% of all who came to vote, deliberately spoiled the ballots in a referendum regarding a new nuclear power plant construction proposal.
A photo of a spoiled referendum ballot roams the internet. Instead of YES and NO for a nuclear power plant construction voter has written the third option – “deportation of Venckienė”. Another voter crossed out the referendum ballot and wrote “leeward!”, while some Kaunas residents with a sense of humour nominated U.S. raised film and series star Chuck Norris.
Translated by Monika Mikučionytė
Edited by Rick Whateley
