Early voting for Sunday’s presidential election and referendum on dual citizenship gets underway in Lithuania on Tuesday.
Eight politicians are vying for the presidency, including Gitanas Nausėda, the incumbent, who is seeking a second term.
Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė is running on the ticket of the ruling conservative Homeland Union. The Freedom Party, another member of the ruling coalition, has nominated Dainius Žalimas, dean of the Faculty of Law at Vytautas Magnus University.
The Labour Party has named its chairman, MP Andrius Mazuronis, as its candidate, and the Democratic Union “For Lithuania”, another opposition party, is fielding Giedrimas Jeglinskas, a former deputy defence minister.
Ignas Vėgėlė, a lawyer, Eduardas Vaitkus, a medical doctor, and Remigijus Žemaitaitis, leader of the Dawn of the Nemunas party, are standing as independent candidates.
Žemaitaitis has recently stepped down as an MP after the Constitutional Court ruled that he had broken his oath of office and grossly violated the constitution by his anti-Semitic statements.
Alongside Sunday’s presidential election, Lithuania is holding a referendum to allow dual citizenship.
Further reading
According to the Central Electoral Commission, early voting polling stations in all 60 municipalities will be open between 7:00 and 20:00 on Tuesday through Thursday.
On Sunday, the official election day, polling stations across Lithuania will also open at 7:00 and close at 20:00.
If needed, a runoff in the presidential election will take place on May 26.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
