Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Lithuanians elect `foreign' president

Helen Womack
Monday 05 January 1998 19:02 EST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Voters in Lithuania have chosen an elderly American citizen for their president in preference to a local politician nearly half his age.

Final results published yesterday gave victory by the narrowest of margins to Valdas Adamkus, 72, who fled from his annexed Baltic homeland in 1944 and did not return permanently until last year when independence was re- established.

The election of Mr Adamkus, which Russian television claimed was the first case of a foreigner becoming the president of any country, came as a surprise, as he had trailed far behind his opponent, prosecutor-general Arturas Paulauskas, in the first round. Mr Paulauskas, 44, is respected because of his commitment to fighting organised crime, although some are suspicious of him because of his Communist past.

But after the father of Lithuanian independence, Vytautas Landsbergis, threw his weight behind the emigre, voters turned to Mr Adamkus, an ecologist who speaks Lithuanian with a heavy accent. He won 49.9 per cent of the vote compared with 49.3 per cent for Mr Paulauskas.

Mr Adamkus was granted Lithuanian citizenship in 1992 but did not give up his US passport. He said Russia would remain "our main partner in the east, but Lithuania will continue to seek membership in the European Union and Nato". Moscow opposes Nato membership for the Baltic states, with whom the Kremlin has has slowly built up a new relationship since they regained their independence in 1991.

"Perhaps Lithuanians think an American president will be more likely to take them into Nato," said Vladimir Lukin, chairman of the Russian parliament's Foreign Relations Committee, "but rather I hope the election of an American will be a compensation for them for not entering Nato."

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in