Lithuanian president, PM set for election runoff on May 26

(ANSA-AFP) - VILNIUS, MAY 13 - Lithuania's president and prime minister will face off in the second round of the Baltic state's presidential vote on May 26 after the incumbent failed to win an overall majority in the first round on Sunday. With almost all the ballots counted in the Baltic state which was once part of the Soviet Union, President Gitanas Nauseda was ahead with 46 percent of the vote while Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte had 16 percent. The election has been dominated by fears over neighbouring Russia and all the main candidates in the vote agreed the NATO and EU member should boost defence spending to counter the perceived threat. Nauseda, a 59-year-old former banker, said he was confident of victory in the second round and would require "no strategy" to campaign against Simonyte. His rival is a 49-year-old fiscal conservative with liberal views on social issues. She notably supports same-sex partnerships, which still stir controversy in the predominantly Catholic country. Opinion polls in the run-up to the vote gave Nauseda a comfortable lead over the other seven candidates, including Simonyte and prominent lawyer Ignas Vegele.
    (ANSA-AFP).