Lithuanian conservatives have elected Laurynas Kasčiūnas as the new leader of the Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats (TS-LKD), replacing Gabrielius Landsbergis.
The former Lithuanian Defense Minister won the leadership race with overwhelming support, receiving 13,488 votes, or 78% of the votes cast in the open elections. He will lead the country’s largest opposition party, which holds 28 seats in parliament, for the next four years, taking office after the party congress in March.
The leadership change follows the resignation of former Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, who stepped down after the party’s defeat in last October’s parliamentary elections. Landsbergis had served as the party leader for nearly a decade.
Kasčiūnas, who holds a PhD in social sciences and is a graduate of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science at Vilnius University, has been a member of TS-LKD since 2011.
From 2000 to 2002, he was part of the right-wing Lithuanian National Democratic Party, a controversial group that continues to face criticism.
In 2024, Kasčiūnas briefly served as Minister of Defense after Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė dismissed Arvydas Anušauskas, citing the need for a more proactive approach in the defense sector. Before becoming minister, Kasčiūnas led the parliamentary committee on national security and defense.
