Gitanas Nausėda, the current President of Lithuania, announced his decision to participate in the upcoming second campaign in the presidential elections next year.
He said this at a press conference on Thursday.
“When I took office as president four and a half years ago, my main goal was to build a strong, fair Lithuania that respects its citizens and is respected by its citizens. A Lithuania that shares its prosperity with everyone, including those who are less well off,” Nausėda said.
“I am determined to continue the work we have started. I will run in the presidential elections in May 2024 and I hope that the people of Lithuania will give me a strong mandate of trust, as they did in 2019,” he added.
Before announcing his decision to run, Nauseda gave a 30-minute speech at the Presidential Palace highlighting the country's achievements since he took office in 2019.
During his first term, Nauseda was remembered as an extremely harsh critic of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
According to opinion polls, Nausėda is the clear favorite in next May's presidential elections.
His main competitors are considered to be lawyer Ignas Wegele, who recently announced his decision to run, and Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte.
