On Friday, Gitanas Nausėda was inaugurated as president of Lithuania for the second term.
At noon, the inaugural ceremony started with a solemn sitting in the Lithuanian parliament Seimas where Nausėda took the presidential oath.
In the solemn sitting, the president put his hand on the Constitution and swore “to be faithful to the Republic of Lithuania and the Constitution, to conscientiously fulfil the duties of his office, and to be equally just to all”.
In an address after taking the oath, Nausėda promised to strengthen Lithuania’s security.
“Unfortunately, the world has moved closer to the abyss in these five years,” he said, reflecting on the first five years of his presidency. “Humanity is on the brink of destruction. Climate change, pandemics, war – in the last five years, we have experienced many realistic scenarios for humanity to wipe itself out or to return to the dark ages.”
Sharing his vision for 2029, Nausėda said that Lithuania’s defence funding should reach 4 percent of GDP, which would allow Lithuania to develop long-range air defence, a missile shield to protect the Baltic Sea coast, and fortifications to protect land borders.
The president also promised to defend Lithuania’s interests in foreign policy, continue supporting Ukraine, and foster ties with the US.
On domestic policy, Nausėda promised to further reduce social exclusion, create a more family-friendly and senior-friendly environment, as well as focus on regions, culture, and education.
After the oath-taking ceremony at the Seimas, the president attended a Holy Mass at Vilnius Cathedral.
After the Holy Mass, the president, who is the commander-in-chief of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, saluted a formation of colour guards, squads and commanders in Cathedral Square.
A ceremony for changing the presidential flag took place in Simonas Daukantas Square in the afternoon.
Later, the government returned its powers to the president, who then instructed the cabinet to continue as a caretaker government until the Seimas votes again on Ingrida Šimonytė’s nomination to continue as prime minister.
An evening reception will be held in the courtyard of the Presidential Palace to celebrate the inauguration of the president.
Nausėda, a 60-year-old economist, was re-elected president in May after defeating Šimonytė in the second round of presidential elections.
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