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 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.

Lithuania’s three-party government collapsed today after the withdrawal of a key coalition partner being investigated for alleged corruption.