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Lithuania votes for new president EU official 'tops Lithuania poll'
(about 13 hours later)
People in Lithuania are voting for a new president amid widespread concern about the economic downturn. European Union budget commissioner Dalia Grybauskaite has won the first round of Lithuania's presidential elections, according to an exit poll.
The clear favourite among the seven candidates is Dalia Grybauskaite, the European Union's budget commissioner. The survey by BNS/RAIT says she secured nearly 68% - enough to avoid a run-off as long as turnout is at least 50%.
She has been critical of the way the country's economy has been handled by governments in the past. If confirmed, Ms Grybauskaite, aged 53, would become Lithuania's first ever female president.
She could win without needing a second round of voting, and if elected she would become Lithuania's first ever female president. Sunday's election was held amid widespread concern about the economic downturn in the Baltic state.
Lithuania's crashing economy has dominated what little policy debate this presidential election has caused. The exit poll says that Social Democrat lawmaker Algirdas Butkevicius, Ms Grybauskaite's nearest challenger, is running a distant second with nearly 12% of the vote.
'Level-headed'
Ms Grybauskaite, the EU's tough-talking budget commissioner who has a black belt in karate, was running as an independent.
Lithuania's crashing economy has dominated what little policy debate this presidential election has generated, the BBC's Adam Easton says.
Ms Grybauskaite has been critical of the way the economy has been handled by governments in the past.
She is widely seen as being a level-headed caretaker and has also avoided being tainted by domestic scandals, our correspondent says.
After enjoying years of impressive growth since it joined the European Union in 2004, Lithuania is experiencing double digit economic contraction and rising unemployment.After enjoying years of impressive growth since it joined the European Union in 2004, Lithuania is experiencing double digit economic contraction and rising unemployment.
Frustration turned into violence in January when demonstrators smashed windows in the parliament building in Vilnius.Frustration turned into violence in January when demonstrators smashed windows in the parliament building in Vilnius.
Those scenes caused Ms Grybauskaite, the EU's tough-talking budget commissioner, to announce her candidacy as an independent. Should Ms Grybauskaite fail to gain 50% of the vote, with at least half of the country's 2.6 million voters turning out, a run-off will be held on 7 June.
The 53-year-old, who has a black belt in karate, is widely seen as being a level-headed caretaker.
Based in Brussels, she has also avoided being tainted by domestic scandals.
That has put her way ahead of her rivals in the opinion polls - with Social Democrat Algirdas Butkevicius her nearest challenger - which suggest she could achieve an outright victory on Sunday.
If she fails to gain 50% of the vote, with at least 50% of the country's 2.6 million voters turning out, a run-off will be held on 7 June.