Impressive uniqueness
1993 year. The election was won by the former head of the Lithuanian Communist Party, Algirdas Brazauskas, who defeated the Lithuanian-American diplomat Stasis Lozoraitis. 60.1% voted for A. Brazauskas. voters.
The voters of Kaunas city (54.7%) and Kaunas district (51.5%) cast the most votes for S. Lozoraitis. If voters throughout Lithuania had voted this way, Lithuania would have managed to avoid questions about how a former communist could have won in the first republic that broke away from the USSR.
The year is 1997 and the spectacular night of the second round election. Valdas Adamkus beat Prosecutor General Artūras Paulauskas by just 0.74 percent. majority of votes. Another 3 hours during the second round. at night it seemed that A. Paulauskas would win. The breakthrough happened when the votes of Kaunas voters began to be announced. Only 6 o’clock in the morning it was announced that V. Adamkus had won. In Kaunas, even 66.89 percent voted for V. Adamkės. voters. To this day, the compatriots highly appreciate V. Adamkės and recognize his merits in the international arena.
In 2003, Rolandas Paksas became the President. In the second round, R. Paksas won by a large margin, receiving 54.9 percent of the vote. of votes. 45.1% voted for V. Adamkės.
Where do you think V. Adamkus got the most votes? In Kaunas, where 60.52 percent voted for him. of votes (in Vilnius – 54.74%, in Kaunas district – 53.96%, in Birštona – 52.64%). Everywhere else, R. Paksas, who was impeached in April 2004, won. The name of Lithuania sounded in the world in an unpleasant context. All of this could not have happened if the compatriots had voted like the people of Kaunas.
2009 year. Dalia Grybauskaitė won the presidential election with 68.21 percent. of votes (Algirdas Butkevičius was second with 11.68%). The people of Kaunas were even more categorical about who is most worthy of winning: in Kaunas, even 83.19 percent voted for the future President. – mostly throughout Lithuania.
Did something happen to the people of Kaunas?
“But look at how the people of Kaunas are voting now”, I can already hear these words. Kaunas citizens are criticized for their choice during the city’s mayoral elections, for their position towards the mayor.
Think about it – in the opinion of a part of the public, Visvaldas Matijošaitis is completely compromised (bribery scandal, accusations of non-transparent activities, long and unclear history of leaving Russia), but only a few citizens of Kaunas are outraged and gather with placards for pickets, while others seem to have been lulled by the sea of asphalt.
It should not be assumed that the morals and values of the people of Kaunas have weakened significantly. A recently published survey showed that 41 percent surveyed adults would buy food products or other goods sold in Lithuania from companies from Lithuania or other countries that still have businesses operating in Russia.
1115 adults, not only Kaunas residents, were surveyed. There must have been about 100-150 Kaunas among them. There are no significant differences between respondents from urban, metropolitan or rural areas.
It can be assumed that such a mayor would probably continue to remain in office in any city. The people of Vilnius will probably not agree, but people like V. Matijošaitis are not worried about pickets and storms on social networks. He will quit when he is pulled over by voters or law enforcement.
So let’s not judge the people of Kaunas. They will have their say.
