Vilnius - Lithuania is set for a new politicsl landscape Monday after centre-right parties triumphed in the Baltic nation's general election on Sunday night.

According to preliminary results, the right-wing Homeland Union - Christian Democrats secured 44 seats in the country's 141-seat parliament, the Seimas, making it comfortably the largest party.

Added to that number in a new four-party ruling coalition will be 16 seats belonging to the Rising Nation Party, 11 seats of the Liberal Movement and a further 8 from the Liberal and Center Union.

Thus the coalition will control at least 79 seats with opposition parties able to muster a maximum of 62.

The Social Democrats of current prime minister Gediminas Kirkilas will be the largest opposition party, having secured 26 seats.

Alongside them will be the Order and Justice Party of former president Rolandas Paksas, filling 15 seats and the Labor Party of Viktor Uspaskich with 10 seats. The remainder will consist of minor parties and independents whose loyalties are unpredictable at best.

Even while votes were still being counted on Sunday night, the leaders of the four centre-right parties had joined to appear before the TV cameras and make clear their intention to work together.

"Lithuania is choosing change - which will be implemented by a centre right coalition," Andrius Kubilius of the Homeland Union told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

Kubilius is now set for a second spell as prime minister after serving previously in the position from November 1999 to October 2000.

Once Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus performs the formality of inviting Kubilius to form a new government, coalition partners will have to agree about who will control which ministries.

The Homeland Union insists it must control the four key ministries of finance, economics, defence and foreign affairs, while the Rising Nation Party is believed to covet the position of parliamentary speaker. (dpa)