The deadline for collecting signatures in the presidential elections has ended: one candidate came to the CEC in the last minutes – Respublika.lt

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CEC members count signatures of supporters. Photo of Elta.

More than 20 thousand The signatures needed to participate in the elections were presented to the Central Election Commission (CEC) on Thursday by Dainius Žalimas, a candidate nominated by the Freedom Party, Giedrimas Jeglinskas, a representative of the Democratic Union “Vardan Lietuvos”, and Aurelijs Veryga, a “countryman”.

Lawyer Ignas Vēgėlė, doctor Eduardas Vaitkus and former army commander Valdas Tutkus are also self-employed.

“The representatives of Valdas Tutkaus ran into the CEC building four minutes before the end of the deadline. A little later, the future candidate himself appeared. The procedure for counting the signature sheets is currently underway”, said CEC representative Indrė Ramanavičienė in Eltai on Thursday, after the deadline for collecting signatures had already expired, assuring that the applicant’s signatures will be accepted.

The representative of the CEC also indicated that Arūnas Rimkus, who nominated himself, did not present the voters’ signature sheets to the commission on Thursday, so only the number of electronic signatures collected by him will be recorded.

In addition, former candidate Gintautas Kniukšta announced his withdrawal from the election on Thursday. The CEC indicated that it had received his request to withdraw the declaration documents.

The signatures of Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė, who is once again trying her chances in the presidential elections, Gitanas Nausėda, who is seeking a second term in office, the parliamentarian Remigijus Žemaitaitis, who is notorious for his anti-Semitic statements, and the chairman of the Labor Party, Andrius Mazuronis, have already been submitted to the CEC.

Presidential candidates collected signatures both on paper and electronically. True, I. Šimonytė, nominated by conservatives, collected signatures of supporters only online.

After receiving the signatures presented by the applicants, the CEC will check them together with the information specified in the candidates’ application documents and make decisions to register the candidates to participate in the elections. This will have to happen no later than April 11.

The Lithuanian presidential election will be held on May 12, 2024.