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TEHRAN, May 12 - Lithuanians were choosing a new president on Sunday in a close race dominated by concerns over poverty and income inequality in the Baltic state that boasts some of the eurozone's strongest growth.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - Nine candidates are vying to fill the shoes of two-term independent incumbent Dalia Grybauskaite, nicknamed the "Iron Lady" for her strong resolve and who has been tipped as a contender to be the next president of the European Council.
But surveys suggest only three stand a chance of making it to an expected May 26 run-off that would coincide with European Parliament elections.
Centre-left Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis, conservative ex-finance minister Ingrida Simonyte and independent economist Gitanas Nauseda lead the pack focused primarily on bread and butter issues.
Simonyte, who scored 22.3 percent in a pre-election poll, is popular with wealthy, educated urban voters while Skvernelis' populist approach resonates with the rural poor.
The Vilmorus pollsters gave him 16.7 percent backing, while Nauseda scored 21.9 percent.
Nauseda, an economist, seeks to bridge the rich-poor divide in the former Soviet republic of 2.8 million people that joined the EU and NATO in 2004.
It is struggling with a sharp decline in population owing to mass emigration to Western Europe by people seeking a better life.
A recent EU report noted that almost 30 percent of Lithuanians "are at risk of poverty or social exclusion" and that this risk is "nearly double" in rural areas.
"Citizens are thirsty for social justice and seek a candidate who can bridge existing social polarisation," Donatas Puslys from the Vilnius Policy Analysis Institute told AFP.
Source: AFP
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