Lithuania's President Dalia Grybauskaite casts her ballot during the first round of the presidential election in Vilnius on May 11, 2014
Vilnius:
Lithuanians were voting on Sunday to elect their president, with incumbent "Iron Lady" Dalia Grybauskaite the odds-on favourite to win for her hard line against a resurgent Russia during the Ukraine crisis.
Grybauskaite is posed to win her second term as many who remember Soviet times see her as their best chance to fend off any unwanted Russian advances amid Europe's worst standoff with Moscow.
The 58-year-old Grybauskaite, who had vowed ahead of the vote to "take a gun myself to defend the country if that's what's needed for national security", is forecasted to garner over 50 percent of the vote, recent opinion polls showed.
Six other candidates have all polled around 10 percent and are not regarded as serious rivals, but low turnout could still trigger a May 25 run-off.
A candidate must obtain half of the votes cast with a turnout of at least 50 percent to win in round one.
"The Lithuania of tomorrow depends on the decision every Lithuanian citizen makes today," Grybauskaite said as she cast her ballot in the capital Vilnius.
Grybauskaite, who has a black belt in karate and is nicknamed the "Iron Lady" for her Thatcheresque resolve, claimed a resounding first round victory in 2009.
Turnout after seven hours of voting Sunday tallied at near 27 percent of the country's 2.5 million registered voters, similar to 2009, officials said.
The election comes as Russia's annexation of Ukraine's former Crimean peninsula and sabre rattling in the neighbouring Russian exclave of Kaliningrad have sparked deep seated fears in Lithuania, a country of three million.
Elvyra Vaicaityte, a student in a border town, is spooked by rumblings of military might in Kaliningrad, sandwiched between Lithuania and fellow NATO member Poland.
"I can hear explosions during exercises, and windows often rattle -- I don't feel very secure," the 23-year-old told AFP.
Grybauskaite first urged and then welcomed the arrival of American troops last month as NATO stepped up its presence in the Baltic states, which spent five decades under Soviet occupation until 1991.
Having joined the EU and NATO in 2004, Lithuania along with fellow Baltic states Latvia and Estonia are all keen to see more alliance boots on the ground amid the Ukraine crisis.
Iron will versus soft touch
"Russia has always been a threat. I was deported to Siberia at the age of eight and spent 14 years there," Pranas Baltrenas told AFP after he and his wife voted for Grybauskaite.
"We saw a period of thaw after regaining independence, but now we're seeing provocations again. We must react to the current situation, and I think Grybauskaite's reaction is appropriate," he said.
She has backed the country's first liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal intended to boost energy security by easing total dependence for gas on Russia's Gazprom.
The former EU budget commissioner also sees eurozone entry in 2015 as an economic buffer against Moscow.
In contrast to her firm line, Grybauskaite's centre-left and populist rivals insist dialogue with Russia is crucial, and have focused more on social issues.
"We'll have to seek dialogue with Russia. Any kind of peace is better than a war," Social Democrat Zigmantas Balcytis said.
"I believe in my luck," added the member of the European Parliament as he cast his ballot.
Balcytis, along with populist Labour party MP Arturas Paulauskas, are Grybauskaite's most likely rivals in a possible run-off.
Algis Krupavicius, a lecturer in Lithuania's second city of Kaunas, told AFP: "The Ukraine crisis is an important mobilising factor, and Grybauskaite's stern rhetoric is likely to appeal to centre-right voters."
Voting is due to end at 1700 GMT with no exit polls scheduled.
Grybauskaite is posed to win her second term as many who remember Soviet times see her as their best chance to fend off any unwanted Russian advances amid Europe's worst standoff with Moscow.
The 58-year-old Grybauskaite, who had vowed ahead of the vote to "take a gun myself to defend the country if that's what's needed for national security", is forecasted to garner over 50 percent of the vote, recent opinion polls showed.
Six other candidates have all polled around 10 percent and are not regarded as serious rivals, but low turnout could still trigger a May 25 run-off.
A candidate must obtain half of the votes cast with a turnout of at least 50 percent to win in round one.
"The Lithuania of tomorrow depends on the decision every Lithuanian citizen makes today," Grybauskaite said as she cast her ballot in the capital Vilnius.
Grybauskaite, who has a black belt in karate and is nicknamed the "Iron Lady" for her Thatcheresque resolve, claimed a resounding first round victory in 2009.
Turnout after seven hours of voting Sunday tallied at near 27 percent of the country's 2.5 million registered voters, similar to 2009, officials said.
The election comes as Russia's annexation of Ukraine's former Crimean peninsula and sabre rattling in the neighbouring Russian exclave of Kaliningrad have sparked deep seated fears in Lithuania, a country of three million.
Elvyra Vaicaityte, a student in a border town, is spooked by rumblings of military might in Kaliningrad, sandwiched between Lithuania and fellow NATO member Poland.
"I can hear explosions during exercises, and windows often rattle -- I don't feel very secure," the 23-year-old told AFP.
Grybauskaite first urged and then welcomed the arrival of American troops last month as NATO stepped up its presence in the Baltic states, which spent five decades under Soviet occupation until 1991.
Having joined the EU and NATO in 2004, Lithuania along with fellow Baltic states Latvia and Estonia are all keen to see more alliance boots on the ground amid the Ukraine crisis.
Iron will versus soft touch
"Russia has always been a threat. I was deported to Siberia at the age of eight and spent 14 years there," Pranas Baltrenas told AFP after he and his wife voted for Grybauskaite.
"We saw a period of thaw after regaining independence, but now we're seeing provocations again. We must react to the current situation, and I think Grybauskaite's reaction is appropriate," he said.
She has backed the country's first liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal intended to boost energy security by easing total dependence for gas on Russia's Gazprom.
The former EU budget commissioner also sees eurozone entry in 2015 as an economic buffer against Moscow.
In contrast to her firm line, Grybauskaite's centre-left and populist rivals insist dialogue with Russia is crucial, and have focused more on social issues.
"We'll have to seek dialogue with Russia. Any kind of peace is better than a war," Social Democrat Zigmantas Balcytis said.
"I believe in my luck," added the member of the European Parliament as he cast his ballot.
Balcytis, along with populist Labour party MP Arturas Paulauskas, are Grybauskaite's most likely rivals in a possible run-off.
Algis Krupavicius, a lecturer in Lithuania's second city of Kaunas, told AFP: "The Ukraine crisis is an important mobilising factor, and Grybauskaite's stern rhetoric is likely to appeal to centre-right voters."
Voting is due to end at 1700 GMT with no exit polls scheduled.
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