Incumbent President Gitanas Nauseda, who is expected to win a second term on Sunday, May 26, came very close to being re-elected in the first round of the presidential election on May 12. With 44.1% of the vote, the 60-year-old former economist, who has no political affiliation, has found himself once again pitted against the conservative Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte who received 19.9% of the ballots in the first round and whom he defeated in the second round, in 2019, with 66% of the vote.
In this small country with a population of 2.8 million, which shares 680 kilometers of border with Belarus and 277 kilometers with the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, security issues have largely dominated the campaign. On this subject, the two candidates have very similar positions, both in terms of their intransigence towards Russia and their unconditional support for Ukraine, as well as their analysis of the risks weighing on the country's security.
On March 21, Parliament passed a motion setting the minimum defense budget at 3% of GDP from 2025 (compared with the current 2.8%). Lithuania has just announced that it will be installing permanent fortifications at strategic border points in the coming months. These will be in addition to the 18 counter-mobility parks spread across the country, where equipment (anti-tank obstacles, reinforced concrete blocks, and barbed wire) designed to slow the progression of an enemy force will be stored.
Showing the level of tension in the region, both candidates reacted on Wednesday, May 22, to reports in the Russian media – later denied by the Kremlin – that Moscow wanted to unilaterally adjust its maritime borders with Finland and Lithuania. Nauseda denounced "a hybrid attack against the West" and "a provocation aimed at escalation," while Simonyte shared the message of Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis referring to a hybrid operation to sow fear and doubt.
On some issues, however, the two candidates differ. In particular, the outgoing president believes that his country should work towards a rapprochement with China, after several years of cold relations between the two countries, following the opening of a Taiwanese representation in Vilnius. Simonyte, on the other hand, believes Beijing should take the first step. She also supports the legalization of civil unions for homosexual couples, which her opponent opposes.
Before being elected president, Nauseda had a long career in banking. Very popular at the end of his first term, he won the support of the Socialist Party, which chose not to present a presidential candidate. This decision was justified by the high level of confidence in the outgoing president among voters and the respect he has on the international stage, as well as by the security situation.
You have 32.54% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.