(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).
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