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Presidential elections begin in Lithuania

VILNIUS, May 11, /ITAR-TASS/. Presidential elections which are the sixth ones for years of Lithuania’s independence began in the Baltic republic on Sunday.

More than two thousand polling stations opened right at 7am local time (4am GMT) on Sunday. Around three million people live in the country. As many as 2,541 million people have the right to vote. Their number went down 159 thousand people over an unfavourable demographic situation as compared with the previous presidential elections in 2009.

The president is elected in a direct secret ballot for five years. Presidential candidates should be no younger than 40 years, should be republican citizens and should live not less than three last years in the country.

Seven candidates are running for presidency. Incumbent President Dalia Grybauskaite is a frontrunner in the elections. Vilnius Mayor Arturas Zuokas, candidate of the Electoral Action of Poles of Lithuania political party Waldemar Tomasevski and candidate from the ruling Social-Democratic Party Zigmantas Balcytis are her main rivals in the presidential elections.

Polling stations will close at 8pm local time (5pm GMT) on Sunday.

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