Lithuanians exasperated with economic hardship have handed a stunning victory to a populist party led by a disgraced Russian-born millionaire, nearly complete results of yesterday’s election show.

A conservative party critical of Russia won Lithuania’s parliamentary ballot, the Baltic country’s election commission said, signalling the return of a centre-right government after seven years of leftist rule.

A conservative opposition party won the most votes in Lithuania’s election, but strong support for populist groups set the stage for tricky coalition talks, according to an exit poll and partial results.