Voters in Lithuania braved freezing weather today to elect a new president, with the favourite, incumbent Mr Valdas Adamkus, facing a tough run-off against former prime minister Mr Rolandas Paksas.
Mr Adamkus, a 76-year-old returnee from the United States who steered the former Soviet republic in its successful bid to be invited to join the European Union and NATO, is widely expected to win, having garnered 35 per cent of votes cast in the first round two weeks ago.
Voting picked up this afternoon, with the Chief Election Commission saying that by 2:00 p.m. (noon Irish time), turnout was just over 30 per cent of the country's 2.7 million registered voters.
Election officials earlier said the initial low turnout was due to temperatures of minus 20 degrees Celsius in the Baltic state.
Mr Paksas (46) who heads the Liberal Democrat party he formed last year and has served twice as prime minister and twice as mayor of the capital, Vilnius, took 19.4 per cent of the first-round vote.
While analysts had originally predicted an easy ride to a second five-year term for Mr Adamkus, they said Mr Paksas' strong showing in the first round and active campaigning had made him an opponent to be reckoned with.
Mr Adamkus was confident of victory as he cast his ballot early today. "I think that Lithuanian people have clear plans for a better and brighter life for themselves and their children," he told reporters.
"The results of the elections will show how Lithuanians evaluated my work in the post of head of state," he added.
Mr Paksas was equally confident after voting. "Lithuania needs change. Wishing success to Adamkus, I do believe that I will be able to achieve the victory," he said.
Mr Raimundas Lopata, the head of the Vilnius institute for international relations and political sciences, said a low turnout would help Mr Paksas but predicted that Mr Adamkus would win by a five to seven point margin.
AFP