1993 Lithuanian presidential election
 | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
Presidential elections were held in Lithuania on 14 February 1993.[1] They were the first presidential elections under the new October 1992 constitution and the first direct presidential elections in the country's history.
Algirdas Brazauskas, the former first secretary of the Communist Party of Lithuania and leader of the Democratic Labour Party of Lithuania (LDDP), won with over 60% of the vote. The runner up was Stasys Lozoraitis Jr., an independent candidate endorsed by the Sąjūdis movement and other political parties.[2] These presidential elections had fewest number of candidates up to date.
By-elections to several municipal councils were held on the same day.[3]
Campaign
Under Brazauskas' leadership, the LDDP had won 73 out of 141 seats in the
The campaign time was limited to three weeks. Lozoraitis stressed his experience in complex foreign affairs.[2] Brazauskas, operating in a familiar environment, was better prepared to address domestic affairs and promised to focus on a smooth transition from planned economy to free market.[6] During the campaign, Lozoraitis was labeled as a foreigner who did not understand the current situation of Lithuania and was largely dependent on the unpopular Sąjūdis.[2] Valdas Adamkus, who went on to win the 1997–98 presidential elections, assisted Lozoraitis in his campaign.[7]
Opinion polls
| Pollster | Fieldwork date | Sample size | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brazauskas LDDP |
Lozoraitis Jr. Ind. |
Others Undecided | |||
| FSTI | 19–20 January 1993 | − | 57% | 29% | 14% |
| LTV | 6–14 January 1993 | − | 51% | 26% | 23% |
Results
Brazauskas received a majority of the vote everywhere except Kaunas, and did particularly well in areas inhabited by the Russian and Polish minorities.[2] This allowed him to win the presidency in a single round; his 61 percent vote share exceeded the 50 percent threshold required to avoid a runoff.
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Algirdas Brazauskas | Democratic Labour Party of Lithuania | 1,212,075 | 61.06 | |
| Stasys Lozoraitis Jr. | Independent | 772,922 | 38.94 | |
| Total | 1,984,997 | 100.00 | ||
| Valid votes | 1,984,997 | 98.32 | ||
| Invalid/blank votes | 34,018 | 1.68 | ||
| Total votes | 2,019,015 | 100.00 | ||
| Registered voters/turnout | 2,568,016 | 78.62 | ||
| Source: Nohlen & Stöver | ||||
Aftermath
The inauguration ceremony took place on 25 February.[6] In May 1993, just a few months after the elections, Brazauskas recalled Lozoraitis as ambassador to the United States despite criticism of politicizing the issue.[8]
References
- ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7
- ^ ISBN 0-8133-1839-4.
- ^ https://savb.lt/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/30.pdf
- ^ Popescu, Marina; Martin Hannavy (12 December 2002). "1992 Parliamentary Elections". Project on Political Transformation and the Electoral Process in Post-Communist Europe. University of Essex. Archived from the original on 14 June 2011. Retrieved 30 January 2010.
- ISBN 978-0-300-06078-2.
- ^ ISBN 978-9955-759-07-2.
- ISBN 0-415-26731-5.
- ISBN 978-0-7391-0027-1.
External links
- 1993 Lithuanian presidential elections VRK (in Lithuanian)
