“I am determined and committed to continue the work we have started. I will run in the presidential elections of Lithuania in May 2024,” Nausėda told a press conference in the Presidential Palace on Thursday.
He was first elected to office in 2019, winning against Conservative nominee Ingrida Šimonytė in the second round.
Before announcing his bid, Nausėda gave a brief overview of achievements and ‘tectonic fractures’, as he put it, that had taken place in his term of office to date.
“A lot has happened in those four and a half years. Things have happened that we could not have predicted in 2019: a pandemic, illegitimate elections in Belarus, illegal migration, the war in Ukraine, the rising cost of energy resources. But despite these challenges, and perhaps because of them, Lithuania has grown stronger,” he said.
“Today, Lithuania is stronger and safer and has made a giant leap in understanding the needs of the weaker members of society. Many decisions have been taken that have brought us closer to the welfare state model I spoke about in 2018-2019,” Nausėda went on, adding more can definitely be achieved.
In a question session following his statement, the president was asked what he thought about possible criticism for using administrative resources for the election campaign.
“Every sitting president automatically has an immanent problem, because whatever he does, he will be accused of using resources. (&) I have no doubt that Dalia Grybauskaitė felt the same way when she was in her second term in 2014,” Nausėda told reporters, noting that his election campaign would be a ‘modest’ one.
“I think we have to put the decision in the hands of the people, and I will do my best to keep my election campaign modest,” said Nausėda.
A number of parties and individual politicians have already announced their bids for the upcoming race.
The Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats (TS-LKD) nominated Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė, the Farmers and Greens Union (LVŽS) picked MP Aurelijus Veryga, Democrats For Lithuania nominated former assistant secretary general of NATO Giedrimas Jeglinskas, the Freedom Party – former Constitutional Court president Dainius Žalimas.
Freedom and Justice publicly nominated former MP Artūras Paulauskas, who later said his decision is yet to come after the party’s board meeting in January. The Regions’ Party endorsed Mantas Varaška, mayor of Kazlų Rūda.
There are also four independent candidates: doctor Eduardas Vaitkus, former chief of defence Valdas Tutkus, lawyer Ignas Vėgėlė and controversial activist Antanas Kandrotas.
