Presidential elections were held in Lithuania on 17 May 2009. A run-off would have been held on 7 June 2009,[1] but was not necessary as Dalia Grybauskaitė was elected with 69% of the vote, with voter turnout just over the 50% threshold for the result to be validated.[2] Grybauskaitė took office on 12 July as the country's first female president.
This was only the second time since the restoration of independence that a Lithuanian president was elected without the need for a runoff, the first being in 1993, when Algirdas Brazauskas was elected with 61% in the first round.
The Electoral Commission registered 14 candidates for the elections, whilst Vladimir Romanov's application was rejected. However, six candidates (Jonas Jankauskas, Vytautas Kundrotas, Algimantas Matulevičius, Algirdas Pilvelis, Vidmantas Sadauskas and Zigmas Vaišvila) failed to collect the 20,000 signatures required, and Seimas Speaker Arūnas Valinskas (National Resurrection Party) withdrew his candidacy.[3]
Seven candidates collected enough signatures to participate in the elections:
Grybauskaitė was supported by the Homeland Union and Liberal Movement.
According to the opinion polls, Grybauskaitė was the undisputed leader in the race for the Presidency.[4][5]