The opposition Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP) has decided not to run its own candidate in May’s presidential election, instead giving its support to incumbent Gitanas Nausėda.
The LSDP conference made the decision on Saturday, with 181 participants voting in favour of the party’s statement on the political situation in the country, 16 voting against, and 17 abstaining.
Some leading members of the party have, however, expressed disagreement with the move.
“The LSDP sees very clearly that President Gitanas Nausėda has consistently enjoyed the highest level of trust among the public,” the LSDP statement reads. “This is confirmed by public opinion polls indicating a high likelihood of electing the president in the first round.”
According to the LSDP, Nausėda has people’s trust, has not made any major mistakes in foreign policy, and is well-regarded by the international community.
“Therefore, the Social Democrats, recognizing the importance of both the presidential and parliamentary elections, seek to consolidate Lithuanian voters for the best solution and recommend supporting Gitanas Nausėda’s candidacy in the presidential election,” the LSDP statement said.
The presidential election is scheduled for May. In October, Lithuania is holding general elections. The LSDP has been leading in the polls.
If the party wins the general elections, the LSDP said, the branches of government will work more efficiently because the president will have the support of a parliamentary majority.
While most LSDP branches nominated MEP Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, the party leader, for the presidency, she opted to seek another term in the European Parliament, where she has been serving since 2009.
Blinkevičiūtė has rejected criticism that she is avoiding responsibility, saying that true leadership is about “making the best decision for the country”.
“As a responsible party, we have assessed the situation in our state, where the three main branches of government – I mean the ruling conservative party, the government and the president – can’t find common ground, which is really bad,” she told reporters.
The threatening geopolitical situation also calls for concerted action, according to the LSDP leader.
“The war is next door. We need the main branches of our government to work together in the face of these challenges, which isn’t happening now,” she said.
Blinkevičiūtė also said that a poll conducted at the end of last year showed 75 percent of LSDP voters supporting Nausėda.
She would not say, however, whether President Nausėda asked for the LSDP support in the election. The party does not plan to financially support the president’s re-election campaign.
“We are not selling or buying anything,” Blinkevičiūtė said when asked if the Social Democrats expected Nausėda’s support in October’s parliamentary elections in return.
Disagreement in the ranks
Several high-profile members of the LSDP, however, have criticised the party’s decision not to run a social democratic candidate and to endorse Nausėda.
“I regret it. Perhaps you will regret it too,” MP Algirdas Sysas told his fellow party members at the conference. “Is our position that we as a party support a right-wing candidate, a former banker, an economist, what will our colleagues on the left do? They will criticise us.”
Another MP Julius Sabatauskas said the LSDP was foregoing an opportunity to promote its platform.
“By not running our own candidate, we have no opportunity to publicise our programme, to explain it to the population. No other candidate will promote our programme. They will not be agitated for our programme. It is as if the party is voiceless,” he said.
Public opinion polls show that the LSDP is currently the most popular party in Lithuania, with around 16-20 percent of voters saying they would vote for the party. Blinkevičiūtė is among the most favourably rated politicians in the country.
According to public opinion polls, about a quarter of voters intend to vote for Nausėda, a former bank analyst seeking a second term as president.
Lithuania will hold the presidential election on May 12, the European Parliament elections on June 9, and the parliamentary election on October 13.
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