Presidential elections in Lithuania are set to occur on Sunday, and the present president, Gitanas Nauseda, is projected to retain his position. The current campaign environment in the post-soviet country is highly influenced by security risks. Lithuania, where the population is roughly 2.8 million, has formed a solid partnership with Ukraine to counter Russia’s invasion in 2022. As is the case with neighbouring countries, this Baltic state, which is part of NATO and the EU, fears that it could become the next target for Moscow.
Nauseda, who is sixty years old and once held a top economic position with the Swedish bank SEB, is not politically aligned. In the first electoral round on May 12, Nauseda secured 44 per cent of the votes but was not able to achieve the outright win he required due to the 50 per cent voting threshold. His political rival is the country’s incumbent Prime Minister, Ingrida Simonyte (49), who is part of the economically conservative ruling party, Homeland Union. This party is not currently popular in public polls. Simonyte, the sole female represented amongst eight initial candidates, was triumphant in achieving a second position with twenty per cent of the votes in round one.
About half of Lithuanian citizens believe that a potential attack by Russia is possible or highly likely, as per an ELTA/Baltijos Tyrimai survey carried out between February and March. However, the possibility of an attack on a NATO member state has been consistently rejected by Russia.
During a debate held on Tuesday, Nauseda classified Russia as a geopolitical adversary. He also accused Russia of persistently attempting to cause instability in Lithuanian politics despite openly recognising themselves as enemies of Lithuania and the democratic world, prompting the need for a strong defensive response.
Both Nauseda and Simonyte are in favour of raising Lithuania’s defence budget to a minimum of 3 per cent of the country’s gross national product, an increase from the 2.75 per cent scheduled for this year.
However, social conservative Nauseda disagrees on certain issues with Simonyte, for example on granting legal recognition to same-sex civil partnerships, which Nauseda refuses to endorse. Nauseda believes that such official recognition would equate these partnerships with marriage too closely, while the constitution of Lithuania permits marriage only between a man and a woman.
On Thursday, Simonyte, a former finance minister known for her staunch fiscal policies, reassured that if she emerges victorious, the country would continue its pro-European, pro-Western orientation without wavering.
The Lithuanian president, while performing a semi-executive role, is also in charge of leading the military, presiding over the highest defence and national security policy organ, and acting as the country’s representative at EU and NATO conferences. Collaboratively with the government, the president guides international and safety policies, as well as having veto power over legislation. The president has influence in selecting important officials, such as judges, the main prosecutor, the defence leader, and the central bank’s head. “However, I desire faster innovation, increased transparency, and comprehension, with a wider acceptance toward people different from ourselves”, she stated. This is the second presidential run-off between the two, with Nauseda having won over Simonyte in 2019 by obtaining 66 percent of the votes. All contents are under copyright by Thomson Reuters, 2024.