Outgoing Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda was re-elected on Sunday after the second round, according to partial results, and his rival conceded defeat.
After counting 80% of the ballots, the Electoral Commission credited him with 76% of the votes. The Prime Minister, Ingrida Simonyte, “congratulated the President-elect of Lithuania”.
The Lithuanian people “entrusted me with a great mandate of trust and I am well aware that I must cherish this credit of trust”said Mr. Nauseda, speaking to the press in Vilnius.
“Now that I have five years of experience, I think that I will definitely be able to use this gem correctly, first of all to achieve the welfare goals for all residents of Lithuania”he added.
Before being elected in 2019, Gitanas Nauseda had a long career in the banking sector. Very popular at the end of his first term, he obtained the support of the Social Democratic Party, which chose not to present a candidate in the presidential election. A decision justified by the “high level of confidence” which the outgoing president benefits from among voters and the respect he enjoys on the international scene, as well as by the security situation.
The defense budget increased to 3% of GDP in 2025
The Lithuanian president heads defense policy and foreign policy and attends summits of the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), but must consult the government and parliament to appoint top officials. responsible.
In this small country of 2.8 million inhabitants, which shares 680 kilometers of border with Belarus and 277 kilometers with the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, security issues largely dominated the electoral campaign. On this subject, the two candidates have very similar positions, both from the point of view 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 voted for a motion setting the minimum defense budget at 3% of GDP from 2025 (compared to 2.8% currently). Lithuania has just announced that it will install permanent fortifications at certain strategic points on its border in the coming months. They will be added to the eighteen “counter-mobility parks” distributed throughout the country, where equipment will be stored (anti-tank obstacles, reinforced concrete blocks, coils of barbed wire) intended to slow the progress of an enemy force.