Socialdemocrats nominate MP Audrius Radvilavičius for Kaunas mayor

Kaunas social democrats have chosen incumbent MP Audrius Radvilavičius as their candidate for next year’s mayoral election, the party announced on Saturday.

At a report-back meeting, Radvilavičius said the city must build long-term value for residents, business and the environment while ensuring public involvement in decision-making.

“A city cannot be run on slogans alone. Decisions must be evidence-based, innovative and responsible,” he told the gathering. “The mayor’s task, together with the council, is to listen to all sides, reflect residents’ expectations and balance needs with possibilities.”

Radvilavičius, first elected to parliament in 2024 from Kaunas’s Panemunė district, previously led landscaping and greenery companies and served as chair of the Forest Contractors Association. Municipal elections are scheduled for 2027.

In the 2023 vote, the party’s previous nominee, Darius Razmislevičius, finished eighth with just over two percent of the vote, while Visvaldas Matijošaitis was re-elected mayor for a third term in a landslide.

The meeting also confirmed Mindaugas Sinkevičius’s candidacy for the upcoming extraordinary leadership election of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP). Sinkevičius currently leads the party, which holds 52 seats in parliament—the largest parliamentary group.

The extraordinary LSDP leadership vote is scheduled for May after former leader Gintautas Paluckas stepped down in summer 2025 amid legal scrutiny. The new leader will serve the remainder of Paluckas’s term, with party statutes under review to extend future leadership terms from two to four years.

The Kaunas branch also adopted internal rules, committee compositions, annual reports and named Steponas Vaičikauskas honorary chairman.