Lithuanians were voting for a new president on Sunday with concerns over income inequality and poverty dominating round one of a tight race in the Baltic state boasting some of the eurozone's strongest growth. Nine candidates are vying to fill the shoes of two-term independent incumbent Dalia Grybauskaite, nicknamed the "Iron Lady" for her strong resolve and who has been tipped as a contender to be the next president of the European Council.
But surveys suggest only three stand a chance of making it to an expected May 26 run-off that would coincide with European Parliament elections. Centre-left Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis, conservative ex-finance minister Ingrida Simonyte and independent economist Gitanas Nauseda lead the pack focused primarily on bread and butter issues.
Simonyte, who scored 22.3 percent in a pre-election poll, is popular with wealthy, educated urban voters while Skvernelis' populist approach resonates with the rural poor. The Vilmorus pollsters gave him 16.7 percent backing, while Nauseda scored 21.9 percent.