„Just like in 2019, the world has not turned upside down. In a sense, we are at a point where we were before the election race. The president was re-elected and we congratulate him on that. I want to thank those people who expressed their confidence in me in both the first and second rounds, despite all the debates, theories and preconceptions,“ Šimonytė told a press conference held at the Palace of Grand Dukes on Monday.
„I see the same trust that I have received personally as very important to me. It is my key motivator in my work. Now it is Monday, a new working week, new arrangements, new commitments, and we are working further,“ she said.
The prime minister said she expected a similar number of voters backing the Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats (TS-LKD) in the upcoming parliamentary election.
„Almost 300,000 electoral votes for me, nominee of the Homeland Union, and not an independent candidate who does not know the political parties or who wants to please them all, is basically the same number of electoral votes that the party secured in the 2020 parliamentary elections,“ Šimonytė noted.
„It is very similar to what we got in the municipal elections, and I believe it is a great achievement to maintain that number after a full term of government. I hope it will remain the same in the next elections,“ she added.
Speaking of the remaining tasks for her Cabinet, the prime minister named an agreement in the Seimas on the additional funding for defence, further steps to disconnect from the post-Soviet BRELL electricity ring and drafting of the next year’s state budget.
Lithuanians voted for their next president in a runoff held on Sunday. Current President Gitanas Nausėda triumphed with 74.43% of votes against Šimonytė’s 24.06%, winning in all the polling districts, the VRK’s preliminary figures suggest.
The voter turnout was 49.61%.