Lithuania: Second Round of Presidential Elections: Nauseda vs Simonite
The incumbent president Gitanas Nauseda won the first round with 44.2% of the vote, with the second round to be held on May 26
Lithuanian incumbent president Gitanas Nauseda won the first round of the presidential election with 44.2% of the vote and a significant lead over current Prime Minister Ingrida Simonite, who gained 19.8%, according to final data provided by the Lithuanian Central Election Commission. Ignas Vegele is in third place with 12.4%, while the “anti-European” candidate Eduardas Vaitkus got 7.3%.
The runoff is scheduled for May 26, echoing the 2019 presidential election, which Nauseda won with 65.6% of the vote. Voter turnout was 59.4%, the highest since the 1997 presidential election.
Nauseda is an independent economist, and Simonite is a representative of the center-right TS-LKD (Union of Fatherland – Christian Democrats of Lithuania) party, both have similar positions on foreign policy and increasing spending on the country’s defense. Despite predictions in favor of Nauseda, the need for a runoff was almost a given, in view of the large number of candidates for the presidential seat – 8.