Leftists Leading in Parliamentary Vote

A leftist coalition headed by a former Communist leader made a strong showing in Lithuanian parliamentary elections, appearing to easily surpass the ruling Conservatives, according to partial voting results. The Social Democratic coalition, led by onetime Communist Party boss and former President Algirdas Brazauskas, had won 33% of the vote with the ballots from 219 out of 2,027 polling stations counted, the election commission reported. The Conservatives, facing popular anger over high unemployment, had just 7% of the early vote. Final preliminary results were expected today.