“As a defense professional, he has a really good reputation,” Ramūnas Vilpišauskas, professor at Vilnius University’s University of International Relations and Political Sciences, told BNS. “Whether that will be enough to convince the voters is very difficult to say, because he is probably not well known outside of this circle of defense people, and that will definitely limit his options.”
G. Jeglinskas has worked as Deputy Minister of National Defense and Deputy Secretary General of NATO. The former officer of the Lithuanian army also served as a platoon commander in the mechanized infantry battalion of Grand Duke Algird of Lithuania in Rukla, worked in military intelligence.
According to the political scientist, it will not be easy to sufficiently present it to the public by May next year, but it will also depend on the efforts of the candidate himself.
“If he manages to draw attention to himself, to convince at least part of the voters, it might be possible, but, of course, the starting positions are not good in terms of awareness. It will be a challenge”, said R. Vilpišauskas.
On Saturday, the leader of the “Vardan Lietuvos” Democratic Union Saulius Skvernelis himself refused to compete for the nomination to become a candidate in the presidential elections.
According to R. Vilpišauskas, he most likely made such a decision after assessing his chances.
“His chances would probably not be very different from the result that was achieved when he first participated in this election. Probably realizing his options, he decided so,” he said.
In 2019, while serving as prime minister, S. Skvernelis, as a candidate of the Lithuanian Peasants and Greens Union, competed for the post of president with Gitana Nausėda and Ingrida Šimonyte. Then S. Skvernelis came third, collecting 19.58 percent. voters’ votes.
“Mr. Skvernelis, not seeing better chances for himself and possibly not wanting to devote time and other resources to it, will probably focus on the next election,” the political scientist noted.
Presidential elections in Lithuania will be held next May.
Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė has already announced her candidacy for the presidency in 2024, and she is nominated by the ruling Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats.
The Union of Lithuanian Peasants and Greens is nominating the former Minister of Health Protection, Member of the Seimas, Aurelijas Verygas.
Former army commander Valdas Tutkus, Kazlų Rūda mayor Mantas Varaška, Antanas Kandrotas, nicknamed Cellophane, who is on trial in the riots case, also announced their candidacies in the elections.
According to public opinion polls, the current leader of the country, Gitanas Nausėda, is the clearest favorite among them, lawyer Ignas Vėgėlė and I. Šimonytė are also in the top three.
I. Vēgėlė and G. Nausėda have not yet announced whether they will participate in them.
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2024-08-25 11:04:17
