Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda Re-Elected for a New Term

On Sunday, 26 May, Lithuania held the second round of its presidential elections. After the vote count at all polling stations, it became clear that Lithuanians have re-elected the incumbent president, Gitanas Nausėda, Delfi reports. 

According to the Central Electoral Commission (CEC), Nausėda garnered 74.43% of the vote after counting ballots at all 1,895 polling stations, improving his 2019 results. His opponent in the second round, current Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė, received 24.06% of the vote. Voter turnout was 49.61%, with 38.58% voting on Sunday and 11.03% voting early.

Local experts had widely predicted this outcome. As the polling stations closed at 20:00 on Sunday, preliminary results were available by around 21:00, showing Nausėda leading in all municipalities. Consequently, Nausėda's team declared victory early, and Šimonytė conceded and congratulated Nausėda on his win.

Former President Valdas Adamkus, who led Lithuania into the EU and NATO, was among the first to congratulate the re-elected president. "The people have given him a strong mandate, which he will certainly need. I am pleased with his decisive victory," said the 97-year-old politician after arriving at Nausėda's campaign headquarters on Sunday evening.

However, Adamkus expressed disappointment over the low voter turnout in the second round. "We must seriously consider the maturity of our society," he told reporters.

The first round of the presidential election took place two weeks earlier. According to The Gaze, Gitanas Nausėda received 44.54% of the vote in that round, which was insufficient for a first-round victory as a candidate needs to secure 50% plus one vote. Current Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė garnered 19.94%, securing her spot in the second round, while lawyer Ignas Vėgėlė came third with 12.47% of the vote.