The race for a vacated Lithuanian parliamentary seat is headed for a runoff, with a candidate from the Peasants and Greens Union leading a liberal candidate, Delfi reported.
Voters in the northern Nalšia electoral district elected Gintautas Kindurys with 21.30% of the vote, while Mėta Paulauskë of the Liberal Movement secured 17.45%, the country’s electoral commission said.
Neither candidate won the majority needed to claim the seat outright, forcing a second-round ballot in two weeks. The vote came after the death of the district’s previous parliament member, the Olympic canoeist Jevgenijus Šuklin, who was elected in 2024 with the Liberal Movement. His mandate was formally canceled in June, triggering the special election under Lithuania’s election law.
Modest Turnout Sets the Stage for a Decisive Duel
Just over 9,100 of the district’s more than 28,400 eligible voters cast ballots, for a turnout of 32.2%, BNS reported. Vyriausiosios rinkimų komisijos (VRK) chairwoman Lina Petronienë called the figure “not very much,” noting that the large number of candidates made a second round all but certain. “The biggest streams of voters were before lunch and during the lunch hour,” Petronienë told ELTA, adding that the day was calm with no reported violations.
The final vote count confirmed the top two finishers, setting the stage for a direct competition between Kindurys, a “valstietis” representing the Greens, and Paulauskë, the Liberal candidate.
A District Defined by Its Unique Challenges and Candidates
The Nalšia seat encompasses Ignalina district, the city of Visaginas, and three municipalities in Zarasai district. The region is known for its distinct issues, including the future of Visaginas and the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant area. “My goals would be to solve the main region’s problems—this would be transport, accessibility of health care, improving the quality of education and medical services,” she stated.
Kindurys, also interviewed by ELTA, emphasized economic development and infrastructure. “If you look at one specific goal, it would be the legalization of all matters for the Visaginas Free Economic Zone (LEZ)… and those issues that are important for the regions, from asphalt paving to maintaining health care institutions,” he said.
Lithuania, Northern Nalšia constituency by-election: Preliminary final election result Kindurys (LVŽS-ECR): 21.3% (-1.5) Paulauskė (LS-ALDE): 17.4% (-3.8) Štraupaitė (TTS-ESN): 15.1% (+13.1) Lebedevičius (LRP→S&D): 10.3% (+3.0) Kondratovič (LSDP-PES): 9.6% (-3.7) Voronin… pic.twitter.com/wkt3hM6nWh
Trailing behind the front-runners was Dalia Štraupaitë of the Homeland and Justice Union with 15.14%, followed by Nikolajus Lebedevičius of the Lithuanian Regions Party with 10.29%, and social democrat Vladislavas Kondratovičius with 9.55%, according to Delfi’s tally of the results.
The Shadow of the Seat’s Previous Incumbent
The special election was necessitated by the tragic passing of Jevgenijus Šuklin, a prominent figure who won the seat in the 2024 general election. As a member of the Liberal Movement, he was part of the party’s parliamentary faction. His death in late May triggered the legal requirement for a new election to be held within six months, a process that has now led to this competitive race.
The election law that governs this process is clear: if no candidate secures an absolute majority in the first round, a runoff is mandatory between the top two contenders.
What Comes Next in the Nalšia Showdown
Gintautas Kindurys and Mėta Paulauskë now turn their full attention to a head-to-head campaign.
The second round is scheduled for late November, giving the candidates a short but intense period to make their case. For the voters of Nalšia, the choice will be between a candidate advocating for green and rural interests and one pushing for liberal, pro-development policies. The outcome will determine who represents this unique corner of Lithuania in the national parliament, continuing the story of a seat that has already seen one chapter end unexpectedly.
