Nausėda retains Lithuania’s most influential politician title

President Gitanas Nausėda was named Lithuania’s most influential politician of 2026 in Delfi’s annual awards, LRT reported. Arvydas Avulis, head of construction company Hanner, was named the most influential business representative, and Prosecutor General Nida Grunskienė the most influential civil servant.

Andrius Tapinas was named the most influential public figure, Edmundas Jakilaitis the most influential media representative, Arūnas Valinskas the leading figure in entertainment and Mykolas Alekna the most influential athlete. A special award for responsible leadership went to Vilmantas Vitkauskas, head of the National Crisis Management Centre.

The rankings draw on separate surveys of public opinion and opinion among members of the country’s elite. Research agency Spinter surveys the public, while the magazine Reitingai surveys the elite. Since 2025, Delfi has also published a combined ranking based on a specially developed methodology.

The awards cover seven groups: politicians; businesspeople and economists; civil servants and officials; public figures; media representatives; sportspeople; and entertainment figures. Delfi has organised the survey for the 12th time.