IMF launches leadership search with Georgieva tipped for 2nd term
Lithuanians vote Sunday in the first round of a presidential election focussed on defence issues, as the Baltic state seeks to boost its security in the face of Russia.
Here are five things to know about Lithuania:
Europe’s last pagans
Lithuania’s statehood stretches back to 1253 when its founder, Mindaugas, was crowned king.
It made up one of medieval Europe’s largest military empires — including territories of current Belarus, Ukraine and Russia — and was its last pagan country before Christianity took root at the end of the 14th century.
Lithuanians proudly claim that their language is the oldest surviving Indo-European language.
Modern Lithuania was an independent nation between the two World Wars.
Annexed by the Soviet Union during World War II, it remained under Moscow’s thumb during the Cold War, before becoming the first Soviet republic to declare independence in 1990.
This year, Lithuania marks two decades in the European Union and NATO. It also adopted the euro in 2015.
Basketball fever
Basketball is dubbed Lithuania’s second religion after Catholicism, and away games have drawn merry bands of travelling fans clad in the national colours of yellow, green and red.
The men’s national basketball team is ranked number 10 in the world, while Lithuanian champion Zalgiris Kaunas competes every year at Europe’s top basketball club competition, the EuroLeague.
Defence, defence, defence
As one of NATO’s most hawkish members on Russia, Lithuania last year was in the defence alliance’s top five in terms of defence spending by size of its economy.
Lithuania currently allocates 2.75 percent of its GDP to defence and hopes to raise it further next year.
The Baltic state is one of the staunchest supporters of Ukraine, both vocally and financially, and has welcomed tens of thousands of its citizens since Russia’s invasion.
Lithuania ranks in the global top three of donors to the war-torn country in terms of percentage of GDP, according to the German-based Kiel Institute.
Also, this year Vilnius and German weapons manufacturer Rheinmetall agreed to build an ammunition plant in Lithuania.
Migration challenges
Lithuania has faced several migration challenges in recent years.
This includes a dwindling population — now at 2.8 million people — as many have left for wealthier countries in western Europe.
Lithuania has in turn become a destination for immigrants from the east, including tens of thousands of Belarusians.
Their presence has in the past sparked a political outcry over security concerns, with critics arguing Vilnius lacks the resources to properly vet everyone.
Lithuania is notably home to exiled Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya and fellow activists.
The country, along with neighbours Latvia and Poland, also saw thousands of people — mainly from the Middle East and Africa — cross their borders from Belarus in 2021.
The West accused the Belarusian government of orchestrating the influx of illegal migration, which Minsk has denied.
Election frenzy
The day of the presidential ballot, Lithuania will also hold a referendum on whether to allow dual citizenship, which is currently banned with few exceptions.
This will mark the beginning of an election season for Lithuania, which will also elect 11 MEPs in June and hold a general election in October.
Leave a Reply
Be the First to Comment!
You must be logged in to post a comment.
You must be logged in to post a comment.