The Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union (LVŽS), the biggest party in the country's parliament, has endorsed the independent economist Gitanas Nausėda for Sunday's presidential runoff, the party's leader said on Thursday.
“We are urging (citizens) to vote for Gitanas Nausėda,” Ramūnas Karbauskis said after a meeting of the party's board.
“If turnout is low and people spoil ballots or don't vote for either candidate, Ingrida Šimonytė will win, which, in our opinion, would be very bad for Lithuania,” he added.
Šimonytė is the presidential candidate nominated by the conservative Homeland Union–Lithuanian Christian Democrats, the biggest opposition party that has been confrotnational with the LVŽS.
Karbauskis said before the first round of voting two weeks ago that Nausėda was also a candidate of the conservatives.
Nausėda met with the LVŽS parliamentary group on Wednesday. Šimonytė declined the invitation to the meeting, quoting “busy schedule”.
Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis, the ruling party's presidential candidate, did not qualify for the runoff after finishing third in the first round of voting.
