Vaitkus withdraws from parliamentary election in Nalšios North

Medician and former presidential candidate Eduardas Vaitkus has withdrawn from the election for Lithuania’s parliament in the Nalšios North constituency, LRT reported on Monday.

Vaitkus asked the Central Electoral Commission to deregister him as an independent political campaign participant, commission spokeswoman Indrė Ramanavičienė told ELTA.

He said on Facebook that he did not have the 1,000 voter signatures required to take part in election debates and the November 8 election.

Because Vaitkus nominated himself, he needed to collect at least 1,000 signatures to remain a candidate. Commission data show that he had collected 25 signatures electronically. It does not yet have information on the number of signatures collected on paper, which Vaitkus must submit by September 18.

Twelve candidates had submitted documents to contest the single-member constituency. Following Vaitkus’s withdrawal, 11 candidates are expected to take part.

The election is being held after Jevgenijus Šuklinas, the Liberal Movement lawmaker elected in the constituency, died in late May. The commission annulled his parliamentary mandate in early June.

Under Lithuania’s Electoral Code, a by-election must be held within six months when the mandate of a lawmaker elected in a single-member constituency ends, unless less than one year remains before the next regular parliamentary election.