Lawyer Ignas Vėgėlė, best known for his opposition to the government’s pandemic policies, has announced intention to run for president.
“Hearing and feeling the trust of many people who love Lithuania, I have decided to take part in next year’s presidential election,” the lawyer said at a campaign launch event on Wednesday evening.
Vėgėlė, 48, who has a law degree, said he was returning to politics because Lithuania needed “strong, courageous, but open leadership for the nation and for all people”.
“Leadership that is not afraid to defend the fundamental values of our nation and state, to seek justice, security and peace in Lithuania, and to care for the most vulnerable.
“Leadership that has the strength and determination and the competence to change Lithuania’s flawed political and governance system,” he said.
Vėgėlė was vice-chairman of the board of the Christian Democratic Party of Lithuania between 2002 and 2004 and chairman between 2004 and 2006. He also ran unsuccessfully for the European Parliament.
In his campaign launch, Vėgėlė said that he did not represent any political party or political interest, nor was he committed to any business company.
“Above all, I have no obligations to any foreign country or any special or security service,” he stressed.
‘State totalitarianism’
Speculation about Vėgėlė’s return to politics was fuelled by a speech he gave two years ago, in which he criticised the measures taken to manage the Covid-19 pandemic.
Addressing his supporters on Wednesday, he referenced the speech, but insisted that he had no political ambitions then.
“Two years ago, I gave a speech. Not because I wanted to be known or because I wanted to be noticed. The Lithuanian Bar Association had already become a well-known and strong defender of human rights, and I thank all the like-minded people who have helped me to achieve this during my two terms in office. I came forward because I simply could not remain silent anymore,” he said.
“The humiliation of people, the disregard for their dignity, rights and freedoms was simply eye-watering,” according to Vėgėlė.
Since his opposition to the government’s pandemic management measures, Vėgėlė has been topping public opinion polls asking voters who they would vote for in a presidential election.
“Only courageous and determined people can root out this state totalitarianism,” he said on Wednesday, referencing the government’s pandemic policies.
The lawyer has been placed under disciplinary proceedings by the Ministry of Justice for his public statements on the collection of donations for doctors during the coronavirus pandemic.
In his speech, Vėgėlė also sided with socially conservative positions, railing against “LGBTQ propaganda” and the Istanbul Convention.
“The Church is being pushed to the margins of public life,” he said, adding that current family policies were seeking to eliminate Christian values from life.
‘Experimental’ foreign policy
Talking about his platform, Vėgėlė said he would be active in domestic and foreign policy alike.
He also said that the current government’s foreign policy was “experimental”.
“We had a falling out with China, now we are back to supporting the one-China policy. The same is happening with Belarus’ long-term strategy. For years we carried a heavy political burden with a difficult neighbour, but we managed to keep [Belarus] neutral. In the end, in the last few years, we pushed it towards Russia,” said Vėgėlė.
“We need to avoid making mistakes, we need to talk to our main partners, our security partners – NATO, EU officials – before we take decisions,” he added.
Asked about the financing of his campaign, Vėgėlė said that he had paid for Wednesday’s presentation event out of his personal funds, but he did not specify how much it cost. The lawyer also said that he planned to open an electoral account next week.
“One candidate may need millions to become president, another candidate may need tens of thousands. I hope I won’t need that kind of money,” the lawyer said.
He promised to present his team later.
Top three
The presidential elections in Lithuania will be held May 12 next year, with a run-off between two top candidates two weeks later.
According to the latest public opinion polls, Vėgėlė is among the top three most popular candidates, along with the incumbent Gitanas Nausėda and Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė.
Nausėda is expected to announce his decision about running for re-election on December 7, while Šimonytė has been nominated by the ruling Homeland Union–Lithuanian Christian Democrats (TS-LKD) party.
The Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union is fielding Aurelija Veryga, former health minister. The Democratic Union “For Lithuania” has nominated Giedrimas Jeglinskas, former deputy defence minister and assistant secretary general of NATO.
The Freedom Party’s nominee for the presidential race is Dainius Žalimas, former chairman of the Constitutional Court, while the Freedom and Justice party is nominating Artūras Paulauskas.
The Liberal Movement announced on Tuesday that it would not be fielding a candidate.
Other candidates that have already announced their plans to run include former armed forces commander Valdas Tutkus, Kazlų Rūda mayor Mantas Varaška, and activist Antanas Kandrotas, nicknamed Celofanas, who is on trial for organising a riot near the parliament building in August 2021.
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