Socdems at the Crossroads of Decision Making: What Does the One-to-One Choice Signal?

LSDP promises to decide on a presidential candidate in December or January.

At the party council that will be held this Saturday, there should not be a decision on this yet, although the internal process of nominating candidates may be discussed, and the final decision date has been considered.

The last time the LSDP presidential candidate appeared more successfully in the elections was in 2014, when Zigmantas Balčytis, who now represents another party, went to the second round with the then head of state Dalia Grybauskaite.

In 2019, the Social Democrats nominated Vytenis Povilas Andriukaitis as president.

Žygimantos Gedvilos/BNS photo/Vytenis Povilas Andriukaitis

LSDP faces a kind of dilemma as to who will represent it in these elections.

According to public opinion polls, the social democratic politician V. Blinkevičiūtė is the best rated, and the majority of departments would like to see her as a presidential candidate.

According to the latest information, it has been raised by 52 departments. Alytus city mayor Nerijus Cesiulis, MEP Juozas Olekas, LSDP deputy chairman Liutauras Gudžinskas, Seimas members Gintautas Paluckas, Julius Sabatauskas, Algirdas Sysas are also proposed as candidates.

Also, LSDP branches would like to see the party’s honorary chairman VPAndriukaitis, Akmenė district mayor Vitalijus Mitrofanova, Seimas member Orinta Leiputė, Šarūnas Birutis as candidates for the presidency.

According to friends of LSDP, V. Blinkevičiūtė is considering candidacy. And she unofficially mentions that the politician is more interested in the elections to the European Parliament, where she still works.

The strongest candidate

LSDP vice-chairman and head of the election staff Robertas Duchnevičius said that it was decided to resolve the issue of the presidential candidate later, outside of this council.