Lithuanian Election Results: Grybauskaite The New President

EU budget chief Dalia Grybauskaite claimed victory in Lithuania's presidential election on Sunday after near-complete figures indicated she had won close to 68 per cent of the vote.

"I congratulate Lithuanians on their decision," Grybauskaite, 53, said on local television, adding: "The taste of victory carries with it the weight of responsibility."

Figures from four-fifths of the Baltic state's polling stations, issued by the national electoral commission, indicated she had won hands down ahead of Social Democrat Algirdas Butkevicius who scored just over 12 per cent.

According to Lithuania's election rules, Grybauskaite has to win over 50 percent of the votes to secure an outright victory. If no one passes the 50 percent threshold, a run-off between the two leading candidates will be held on June 7.

The 53-year-old, a tough-talking former Lithuanian finance minister, ran as an independent candidate, enhancing her popularity in contrast to the main political parties, whose standing has been hit by the economic downturn and allegations of corruption.

"I think that together we will be able to emerge from these times of hardships much better, much more direct and much richer," she said.

The Lithuanian president is elected by secret voting for a five-year term on the basis of universal, equal and direct suffrage.