On May 26, 2024, voters held the second round of the presidential election at a polling station in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Petras Malukas | AFP | Getty Images
Lithuania holds presidential elections on Sunday, with incumbent Gitanas Nauseda expected to win as security concerns in the post-Soviet country dominate the campaign.
The Baltic country of 2.8 million people has been a staunch ally of Ukraine since Russia invaded in 2022. Like others in the region, the NATO and EU member fears it could become Moscow’s next target.
Nauseda, 60, a former senior economist at Swedish banking group SEB who is not affiliated with any political party, won the first round of elections on May 12 with 44% of the vote, short of an outright victory. 50% required.
His opponent is Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte, 49, from the ruling center-right Homeland party, which has been lagging in opinion polls. She was the only woman among the eight candidates in the first round and came in second place with 20% of the vote.
According to ELTA/Baltijos Tyrimai polls conducted between February and March, more than half of Lithuanians believe a Russian attack is possible or even very likely. Russia has often dismissed the idea that it could attack a NATO member.
Nauseda said during Tuesday’s debate that he views Russia as an enemy. “Our enemies – they even call themselves our enemies, enemies of us and the entire democratic world – are trying to undermine our political stability, and we must resist with all our might.”
Both Nauseda and Simonit support increasing Lithuania’s defense spending to at least 3% of gross domestic product from this year’s planned 2.75%.
But Nacerda, a social conservative, has clashed with Simonet on other issues, including whether to legally recognize same-sex civil partnerships, which Nacerda opposes.
He said this would make the union too similar to marriage, and the Lithuanian constitution only allows for marriage between a man and a woman.
Simonet, a fiscal hawk and former finance minister, said on Thursday that “the direction of the country – pro-European, pro-Western – will not change” if she wins.
“But I hope for faster progress, more openness and understanding, greater tolerance for people who are different from us,” she added.
The President of Lithuania holds semi-executive duties, including leading the armed forces, chairing the top defense and national security policy body, and representing Lithuania at EU and NATO summits.
The president sets foreign and security policy with the government, can veto laws, and has a say in the appointment of key officials such as judges, chief prosecutors, defense ministers and central bank governors.
This will be the second presidential runoff for both men.
In 2019, Nauseda defeated Simeone with 66% of the vote.
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