Incumbent Gitanas Nausėda declared victory on Sunday in the first round of Lithuania's presidential election after provisional results showed he had received the most votes.
However, it failed to reach the 50% threshold needed to avoid a run-off with Prime Minister Ingrida Simonte.
According to preliminary results, Nauseda led with 44% of the vote to Simonite's 20%.
What was the campaign about?
The campaign focused on security concerns in the Baltic states, with leading candidates agreeing that the country should increase defense spending to counter perceived threats from neighboring Russia. .
Citizens across the region are concerned that the Baltic states, currently members of the NATO military alliance and the European Union, could become targets of future Russian aggression.
According to an ELTA/Baltijos Tirimai poll, just over half of Lithuanians believe a Russian attack is possible or very likely.
Who are the main candidates?
According to opinion polls, incumbent Hitanas Nauseda is expected to receive more than 35% of the votes in the first round and is expected to win in the run-off.
His main rivals were Prime Minister Ingrida Simonte and prominent lawyer Ignace Wegele.
Begel is a lawyer who became famous for speaking out against mandatory vaccinations during the coronavirus pandemic. He claims to be an alternative to established politicians and promises a more transparent government.
Mr. Simonte is a fiscal conservative with liberal views on social issues. She is running for president for the second time after losing to Nauseda in the 2019 runoff.
What position does the candidate stand on?
Both Nauseda and Simonte support raising defense spending to at least 3% of Lithuania's gross domestic product (GDP), up from the 2.75% planned for this year.
This will pay for the modernization of troops and infrastructure to support a brigade of German troops and their families stationed in Lithuania that will be combat-ready by 2027.
However, although they agree on increases in defense spending and policy toward Russia, their opinions differ on issues such as same-sex civil unions, which Nauseda opposes.
What is the role of the president in Lithuania?
The Lithuanian president holds semi-executive roles, including commander of the military and chairman of the country's highest defense and national security policy body, and represents the country at European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit meetings.
However, the president consults with the government on foreign and security policy. He can veto laws and has a say in the appointment of key officials such as judges, the prosecutor general, the defense secretary and the central bank governor.
Voting will close at 8pm local time (17:00 GMT) and results will be announced after midnight. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the votes, a runoff election will be held on May 26th.
dh/msh (AFP, Reuters)
