Nausėda’s favorable rating falls as TS-LKD tops party poll

President Gitanas Nausėda’s favorable rating fell by nine percentage points over the past month, while the Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats and the Social Democratic Party remained the leading parties, LRT reported, citing an ELTA-commissioned survey by Baltijos tyrimai.

In the survey conducted at the end of August, former presidents Valdas Adamkus and Dalia Grybauskaitė received the most favorable ratings among Lithuanian residents aged 18 and over, at 76% and 57%, respectively.

Five other public figures received more favorable than unfavorable ratings. Seimas member Valius Ąžuolas was viewed favorably by 45% of respondents, while Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys received a favorable rating from 43%.

Health Minister Linas Kukuraitis and Virginijus Sinkevičius, leader of the Democratic Union For Lithuania and a member of the European Parliament, were each viewed favorably by 41% of respondents. Vytautas Sinica, leader of the National Alliance, received a favorable rating from 39%.

More than half of respondents viewed Supreme Council-Reconstituted Seimas Chairman Vytautas Landsbergis unfavorably, at 66%. Former Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė received an unfavorable rating of 64%, while Remigijus Žemaitaitis, leader of the Dawn of Nemunas party, and Liberal Movement leader Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen each received 53%.

Seimas Speaker Juozas Olekas and Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats leader Laurynas Kasčiūnas were viewed unfavorably by 51% of respondents each.

Nausėda’s rating drops nine points

Nausėda’s favorable rating fell from 52% to 43% over the past month, the largest change recorded in the survey.

Romas Mačiūnas, a sociologist at Baltijos tyrimai, said it was not possible to identify one specific reason for the change. He suggested that the president’s rating may have been affected by a generally negative information environment.

“It is difficult to single out one negative aspect. I suspect it was the overall combination,” Mačiūnas told ELTA.

The share of respondents viewing public figure Andrius Tapinas favorably fell by five percentage points, from 47% to 42%, while journalist Edmundas Jakilaitis’s rating dropped from 44% to 39%.

Adamkus’s favorable rating fell by four percentage points, from 80% to 76%, while Sinkevičius’s dropped from 45% to 41%.

The favorable ratings of Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union leader Aurelijus Veryga and Liberal Movement leader Čmilytė-Nielsen each fell by three percentage points, to 42% and 35%, respectively.

Meanwhile, Ąžuolas’s favorable rating rose by three percentage points, from 42% to 45%. Mačiūnas said the increase did not necessarily indicate growing popularity.

“He is not growing [in popularity]. This improvement simply moved him into third place because the ratings of other politicians fell,” the sociologist said.

According to Mačiūnas, Ąžuolas has stable support among a certain group of residents and is seen as a politician with a critical stance. However, his rating is less affected by political or economic developments relevant to heads of state.

The ratings of the other politicians and public figures included in the survey were unchanged compared with July.

TS-LKD and Social Democrats lead party ratings

In a representative survey conducted from August 20 to 31, respondents were asked which party they would support if parliamentary elections were held the following Sunday.

The Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats received the highest support, at 12.8%, followed by the Social Democratic Party at 12.5%. In July, the parties had the support of 14% and 11% of respondents, respectively.

The Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union ranked next with 10.5%, up from 8.5% in July. The Dawn of Nemunas party received 9.1%, down from 11.1%.

The Liberal Movement was supported by 6.6% of respondents, compared with 7.5% in July, while the Democratic Union For Lithuania received 5.4%, up from 5.2%.