COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) 鈥 Lithuanian President Gitanas Naus臈da secured a second five-year term as Lithuanian president in a landslide victory over Prime Minister Ingrida 艩imonyt臈.
Preliminary figures by the Lithuania鈥檚 Central Electoral Commission showed that Naus臈da won 74.5% of the votes and 艩imonyt臈 24.1%.
The 60-year-old Naus臈da is a moderate conservative and has been a strong backer of Ukraine, a position shared across most of the political spectrum. During his time in office, Lithuania has also given refuge to many who have fled an and increased .
鈥淟ithuania鈥檚 independence and freedom is like a fragile vessel that we must cherish, protect and prevent from cracking,鈥 Naus臈da said Sunday night after the ballots had been counted, the Baltic News Service reported.
Speaking of the Baltic country鈥檚 allies the United States, Germany, Poland, among others, he added that 鈥砏e have a very similar position on fundamental issues, like support for Ukraine, the attitude towards the Russian threat.鈥
Naus臈da, a former banker, entered politics with his successful presidential run in 2019. He and 艩imonyt臈 won the first round but failed to muster the 50% of the votes needed to win the presidency outright.
The election came at a time as Russian gains in Ukraine are fueling particularly in the
Lithuania is north of Poland and south of the two other Baltic countries, Latvia and Estonia. It separates Belarus, an ally of Russia, from Kaliningrad, a heavily militarized Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea that is separated from the Russian mainland.
The president鈥檚 main tasks in NATO-member Lithuania鈥檚 political system are overseeing foreign and defense policy, along with acting as the supreme commander of the armed forces.
Given that Lithuania is strategically located on , the presidency of the relatively small nation has added importance as tensions rise between Russia and the West over the war in Ukraine.
Before the votes were counted Sunday evening, 艩imonyt臈 conceded defeat and congratulated her opponent.
Both Naus臈da who ran as an independent candidate, and 艩imonyt臈 who became prime minister in 2020, have voiced support of Ukraine. The pair also ran against each other in a presidential runoff in 2019, when Naus臈da won with 66% of the votes.
Naus臈da will be sworn in for a new five-year term in July. 艩imonyt臈 said she will return to work as prime minister in Lithuania, a country of nearly 3 million people on Monday, Lithuanian television said.
Turnout in Sunday鈥檚 election was 49.15%.
