Lithuania Elects First Female President

Dalia Grybauskaite has become a recent addition to the long history of Lithuania by becoming the first female elected President of the Baltic Nation. She is also an independent which is another first.

The turnout at the Presidential Elections was 52% with Ms. Grybauskaite winning 68% of the vote compared to 12% for the Social Democratic Party. Her campaign was based on how previous governments and political parties managed the economy which has been suffering a recent downturn.

She also talked about the need for new faces in government and has been seen as level headed. It appears that her government will be less confrontational with Russia while maintaining the country within the EU and NATO.

The President of Lithuania has the power to veto the budget and formally appoint a prime minister and the cabinet. Regardless of what may transpire in the future, Lithuania has now joined the ranks of countries who have elected females as heads of state and government.