Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė, who is running for president on the ruling Homeland Union’s ticket, has come under fire after her campaign slogan was likened to the one used by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
On Friday, Šimonytė officially launched her election campaign and unveiled its slogan: “Strong president – strong country”.
On social media, the slogan quickly came under fire for its resemblance to the one Putin used in his 2018 presidential campaign: “Strong president – strong Russia”.
Šimonytė first rejected the criticism, saying that her slogan issue is “a minor question on the list of all questions” and that it is candidates and not slogans “that win elections”.
“You think I follow Putin’s slogans? Definitely not. What’s more, Putin was not original in using that slogan,” she added.
However, her campaign chief Mindaugas Lingė admitted that the slogan was an “oversight” and will not be used.
“It is probably not appropriate to use the wording as it is now. You can say the same thing in other words,” he told reporters on Sunday.
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