Lithuanians name possible presidential candidates

Lithuanians most often name three politicians when asked who would make a suitable president after the 2029 election, a recent survey shows.

A nationally representative poll of 1,014 residents, commissioned by LRT and conducted by market-research firm Baltijos tyrimai between 19 February and 2 March, asked which of 16 listed politicians or public figures respondents would consider for the presidency. The margin of error is 3.1 percentage points.

Former presidential candidates Ignas Vėgėlė, Remigijus Žemaitaitis and Ingrida Šimonytė topped the list, while Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys—who has never run for office and is not a party member—placed fourth.

Gender differences and party ties

Men most often chose Vėgėlė, whereas women preferred Šimonytė, according to the results. Professor Ainė Ramonaitė of Vilnius University’s Institute of International Relations and Political Science noted that Žemaitaitis’s name also appeals to voters who miss the presidency of Dalia Grybauskaitė.

Some of the surveyed politicians belong to the same party, and if their ratings are combined, the totals exceed those of individual candidates. For example, Mindaugas Sinkevičius, Inga Ruginienė and Juozas Olekas—all members of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party—together reach about 13 percent. Ingrida Šimonytė and Laurynas Kasčiūnas, both of the Homeland Union–Lithuanian Christian Democrats, together reach about 14 percent.

Professor Ramonaitė cautioned that adding party colleagues’ ratings can be only a rough guide, because not all voters choose along party lines.

Polling method and future shifts

Ramonaitė also pointed out that home-based interviews tend to over-sample voters who lean left or centre-left, since younger, more affluent and more mobile citizens are harder to reach at home. Online polls, by contrast, tend to favour right-leaning candidates.

She added that a politician’s rating often rises once they declare their candidacy, because voters then recognise them as a contender. With the 2029 presidential race still far off, no official candidates have yet emerged.