Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte are to face off in the second round of the Baltic state’s presidential vote on May 26 after the incumbent failed to win an overall majority in the first round on Sunday.
With almost all the ballots counted in the Baltic state that was once part of the Soviet Union, Nauseda was ahead with 46 percent of the vote while Simonyte had 16 percent.
The election has been dominated by fears over Russia, and all the main candidates in the vote agreed the NATO and EU member should boost defense spending to counter the perceived threat.
Photo: AP
Nauseda, a 59-year-old former banker, said he was confident of victory in the second round and would require “no strategy” to campaign against Simonyte.
His rival is a 49-year-old fiscal conservative with liberal views on social issues. She notably supports same-sex partnerships, which still stir controversy in the predominantly Catholic nation.
Opinion polls in the run-up to the vote gave Nauseda a comfortable lead over the other seven candidates, including Simonyte and prominent lawyer Ignas Vegele.
Pensioner Aldona Majauskiene, 82, said she had voted for Nauseda because “he is the best in every category.”
Civil servant Airine, 53, said she voted for Simonyte and expects less populism from the candidate if elected.
“I am not voting for faces, I am voting for those who really can help boost our security and quality of living,” she said.
Turnout was more than 59 percent — the highest result since the 1997 presidential election.
Simonyte is running for president for a second time after losing to Nauseda in a run-off in 2019.
“Simonyte is supported by conservative party voters and liberal people, while Nauseda is a candidate of the left in terms of economic and social policy,” Vilnius University analyst Ramunas Vilpisauskas said.
The Lithuanian president steers defense and foreign policy, attending EU and NATO summits, but must consult with the government and parliament on appointing the most senior officials.
Lithuania, which has a population of 2.8 million people, is a top donor to Ukraine and a big defense spender, with a military budget equal to 2.75 percent of GDP. The Simonyte-led government is expected to come forward with proposals within weeks that could help lift defense spending to 3 percent of GDP.
Lithuania intends to use the funds to purchase tanks and additional air defense systems, and to host a German brigade, as Berlin plans to complete the stationing of about 5,000 troops by 2027.
The uneasy relationship between Nauseda and Simonyte’s ruling conservatives has at times triggered foreign policy debates, most notably on Lithuania’s relations with China.
Bilateral ties turned tense in 2021, when Vilnius allowed Taipei to open a de facto embassy under the name Taiwan in a departure from the common diplomatic practice of using the name of the capital, Taipei, to avoid angering Beijing.
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