Lithuania's Gitanas Nauseda was set to secure a second term in a presidential election runoff on May 26 after his opponent conceded following a campaign dominated by security concerns in the EU and NATO member state neighboring Russia. The Baltic nation of 2.8 million people has been a staunch ally of Ukraine since Russia's 2022 invasion. Like other countries in the region, it worries it could be Moscow's next target. Nauseda, 60, a former senior economist with Swedish banking group SEB who is not affiliated with any party, won the first round on May 12. Nauseda had a commanding lead in the runoff, gaining more than 80 percent of the vote after the initial vote count, followed by Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte, 49, from the ruling center-right Homeland Union party, which has been trailing in opinion polls. Simonyte later conceded.
Lithuanian President Set To Secure Reelection As Opponent Concedes
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda votes in the first round of the presidential election on May 12.