Lithuania’s President Hytanas Nausėda appears on track for a second term in office after an election largely dominated by concerns about the war in Ukraine and neighboring Russia.
After nearly all the votes in Sunday’s election were counted, Nauseda led with 46%, while Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonite had 16%. Since no candidate won more than 50% of the votes, both candidates will face a runoff election on May 26th.
After the vote ended, Nauseda told reporters he would continue to pressure Western allies to increase military aid to Ukraine.
“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has already said everything. “They do not need our declarations of goodwill, they are useless in combat. They need air defense… Until it is established, Ukraine remains vulnerable,” he said.
The 59-year-old former banker is confident of victory in the second round and said he “doesn’t need a strategy” ahead of the fight against Simonite.
Simonite, the current prime minister and the only woman among the seven candidates running, is a 49-year-old fiscal conservative with liberal views on social issues.
Nausėda’s campaign focused on Russia’s war in Ukraine and its implications for Lithuania’s national security, including the prospect of potential Russian aggression against Lithuanian territory.
The Erta/Baltijos Tirimai poll found that just over half of Lithuanians believe a Russian attack is possible or very likely. This is a sentiment common throughout the Baltic states.
Last week, the country’s Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis raised the possibility of an ad hoc coalition of Western countries to support ground air defense and send military training personnel to Ukraine, lending support to an initiative put forward by French President Emmanuel Macron. Gave.
Most of the candidates running in Sunday’s election, including Mr. Simonite and Mr. Nauseda, told state television that they had stockpiled food at home in case of a military conflict. “We are doing everything we can to make sure it is not needed,” Nauseda said in a televised debate.
Nauseda and Šimonite support increasing defense spending to at least 3% of Lithuania’s GDP, which is higher than expected. The average in 2024 in the EU is 2%and part of the estimated 30% of GDP that the Kremlin is plowing into Russia’s war economy.
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The Baltic states feel extremely vulnerable to the Russian threat, and last month saw the arrival of the first contingent of 4,800 German troops as part of a NATO plan to strengthen security between now and 2027. There is. European leaders believe that even if a peace deal is reached in Ukraine, Putin will rally to launch further invasions over the next decade.
The aim is to finance the modernization of Lithuania’s military and infrastructure in order to support combat-ready German brigades and their families who will be deployed to Lithuania from 2027.
Although they agree on Russia policy, the two top candidates in the election have differing views on issues such as same-sex civil partnerships, which Nauseda opposes, and have a history of bitterly arguing and refusing to talk to each other. There is.
The Lithuanian president has a quasi-executive role, which includes serving as commander of the armed forces, chairing the highest bodies for defense and national security policy, and representing the country at EU and NATO summits.
Reuters and Agence France-Presse contributed to this report
