Kaunas mayor dominates media race ahead of municipal elections

Kaunas Mayor Visvaldas Matijošaitis is the most visible figure in the race for mayoral posts in Lithuania’s largest cities, while no clear leader has emerged in Klaipėda, according to a media analysis reported by LRT.

The analysis by media research company Mediaskopas recorded more than 500 mentions of current and potential candidates for mayor of Vilnius, Kaunas and Klaipėda during the period examined.

Mediaskopas said media attention at this stage was driven mainly by political intrigue rather than candidates’ programmes or specific proposals. Coverage focused on the announcement of candidacies, party primaries, opinion ratings, criticism between candidates and speculation about who could pose the strongest challenge to the incumbent mayors.

Matijošaitis leads in Kaunas

The most intense media competition is currently taking place in Kaunas. Mediaskopas said the race was being shaped not only by declared candidates but also by open primary elections organised by the Homeland Union Lithuanian Christian Democrats, or TS LKD.

The primaries are allowing potential candidates to increase their visibility before being officially nominated. Among the party’s candidates, Šarūnas Jasiukevičius has attracted the most media attention, with his number of mentions approaching that of the main officially declared candidates.

Matijošaitis remains the central figure in the expected election contest and clearly leads the declared candidates in media visibility. Much of his competitors’ communication is also linked to the incumbent mayor, with discussion focusing on who could mount the strongest challenge against him.

Nemunaitis leads declared candidates in Vilnius

In Vilnius, city council member Aleksandras Nemunaitis currently has the highest media visibility among declared mayoral candidates. He is ahead of former mayor Artūras Zuokas, Seimas member Vytautas Sinica and other declared contenders.

Incumbent Mayor Valdas Benkunskas has not yet announced his candidacy but remains one of the most prominent figures in the city’s emerging election coverage. Mediaskopas said his visibility was supported by his mayoral duties and current city issues, which are already being assessed in the context of the approaching elections.

Zuokas also remains one of the most active figures shaping the Vilnius election agenda. His communication has focused on criticism of the current city government and specific problems in the capital, although he is not currently the visibility leader.

Sinica has a high level of visibility relative to the size of the political force he represents. Mediaskopas attributed his stronger position to opinion rating trends and controversies that generated additional media attention.

The Lithuanian Social Democratic Party has so far had considerably less visibility in the Vilnius mayoral race. As the party has not yet decided on its candidate, potential contenders mentioned in the media have received limited attention.

No clear leader in Klaipėda

Mediaskopas said communication around the Klaipėda mayoral election was the least developed of the three major cities. None of the declared candidates has yet become a clear leader in media visibility.

A significant share of coverage has focused on parties’ internal decisions, discussions about potential candidates and decisions not to run. The company said this showed that the election competition in the port city was still taking shape, leaving room for a clearer visibility leader to emerge.