Gitanas Nauseda, the current president of Lithuania, emerged victorious in the initial round of voting in the country’s presidential election, positioning himself for a potential second term.
With almost all votes tallied, Nauseda, a former banker, secured 46 percent of the vote, falling just short of the required majority for an outright win.
Following closely behind was Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte with 16 percent, setting the stage for a runoff between the two on May 26, reminiscent of the previous election in 2019.
This election featured eight candidates, with a primary focus on security concerns and the perceived threat from Russia, especially after the recent invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The candidates all agreed on the need to bolster defence spending to address potential threats along the country’s borders.
Nauseda, aged 59, expressed confidence in his prospects for the second round and downplayed the need for a specific campaign strategy against Simonyte.
Both Nauseda and Simonyte advocate for increasing defence spending to a minimum of 3 percent of Lithuania’s GDP, aiming to modernize the military and infrastructure in preparation for the arrival of German troops expected to be combat-ready by 2027.
Several candidates competed for the votes of Lithuanians in the recent election [Petras Malukas/AFP]
Anticipation for General Election
While the candidates align on Russia-related policies, they diverge on other issues like same-sex civil partnerships, a topic of contention in the predominantly Catholic nation with a population of 2.8 million.
Nauseda opposes such partnerships, while Simonyte, a 49-year-old fiscal conservative, is in favor of them.
The president of Lithuania holds a semi-executive position, overseeing the armed forces and leading the supreme defence and national security policy body.
Link from www.aljazeera.com