On Might 26, 2024, voters held the second spherical of the presidential election at a polling station in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Petras Malukas | AFP | Getty Photographs
Lithuania holds presidential elections on Sunday, with incumbent Gitanas Nauseda anticipated to win as safety issues within the post-Soviet nation dominate the marketing campaign.
The Baltic nation of two.8 million individuals has been a staunch ally of Ukraine since Russia invaded in 2022. Like others within the area, the NATO and EU member fears it might grow to be Moscow’s subsequent goal.
Nauseda, 60, a former senior economist at Swedish banking group SEB who isn’t affiliated with any political occasion, gained the primary spherical of elections on Might 12 with 44% of the vote, wanting an outright victory. 50% required.
His opponent is Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte, 49, from the ruling center-right Homeland occasion, which has been lagging in opinion polls. She was the one girl among the many eight candidates within the first spherical and got here in second place with 20% of the vote.
In accordance with ELTA/Baltijos Tyrimai polls carried out between February and March, greater than half of Lithuanians consider a Russian assault is feasible and even very doubtless. Russia has typically dismissed the concept that it would assault a NATO member.
Nauseda stated throughout Tuesday’s debate that he views Russia as an enemy. “Our enemies – they even name themselves our enemies, enemies of us and all the democratic world – are attempting to undermine our political stability, and we should resist with all our power.”
Each Nauseda and Simonit help rising Lithuania’s protection spending to at the very least 3% of gross home product from this 12 months’s deliberate 2.75%.
However Nacerda, a social conservative, has clashed with Simonet on different points, together with whether or not to legally acknowledge same-sex civil partnerships, which Nacerda opposes.
He stated this could make the union too much like marriage, and the Lithuanian structure solely permits for marriage between a person and a lady.
Simonet, a former finance minister and financial hawk, stated on Thursday that “the route of the nation – pro-Europe, pro-Western – won’t change” if she wins.
“However I hope for quicker progress, extra openness and understanding, higher tolerance for people who find themselves completely different from us,” she added.
Lithuania’s president holds semi-executive posts, together with main the armed forces, chairing the highest protection and nationwide safety coverage physique and representing the nation at EU and NATO summits.
The president units overseas and safety coverage with the federal government, can veto legal guidelines, and has a say within the appointment of key officers resembling judges, prosecutors, protection ministers and central financial institution governors.
This would be the second time the 2 males have competed in a presidential runoff.
In 2019, Nauseda defeated Simeone with 66% of the vote.
