Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus Casts His Vote in National Elections 🇱🇹

(22 Dec 2002)

1. President Valdas Adamkus and wife voting
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus
Q: Do you think that there will be a run off?
Adamkus: "It's difficult to predict - logically thinking yes, because there are too many candidates."
3. Various of Adamkus leaving polling station
4. Various of people voting
5. Various of Vilnius

STORYLINE:

Lithuanians began voting on Sunday in presidential and municipal elections that many observers expected would give a second term to President Valdas Adamkus, who guided this ex-Soviet, pro-West republic into the European Union and NATO.

Buoyed by a strong economy and the achievement of several key foreign policy goals, the Baltic state of 3.5 (m) million is expected to give Adamkus a second five-year term.

A late pre-election poll of 1,100 voters by Baltic Surveys, conducted Dec. 7-12, put Adamkus ahead with 30.3 percent, more than double his nearest rival, former Prime Minister Rolandas Paksas, who had 12.4 percent.

Parliament speaker Arturas Paulauskas, 49, who lost the 1998 runoff to Adamkus, had 12 percent.

The other 14 candidates combined had just 6 percent.

Adamkus, 76, and a former U.S. citizen, took a wait-and-see attitude about the race.

"Logically thinking, there will be a run-off. There are just too many candidates," he said after casting his ballot in icy-cold Vilnius.

Nearly 2.7 (m) million people are eligible to vote in the election, the third since the Baltic nation's independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

Lithuania's central election commission predicted turnout of 70 percent, lower than 73 percent in the 1998 elections.

If no candidate gets an absolute majority, a run-off will be held Jan. 5.

Voters also will be choosing 1,560 members of city and county councils from 26 different parties.

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