The incumbent mayor of the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, Valdas Benkunskas, will seek a second term in office in the municipal elections due to be held in March 2027, BNS reports. If re-elected, he said that his priorities would include renovating residential courtyards and expanding transport infrastructure. Benkunskas, who is a member of the conservative Homeland Union, has served as city mayor since 2023, when he won the mayoral election with 52% of the vote in the second round, ELTA reported.
Other political parties have nominated their candidates for Vilnius mayor as well. The Lithuanian Liberal Movement’s candidate to the post is MP Simonas Gentvilas, while the Freedom Party has nominated deputy mayor and party leader Vytautas Mitalas. The candidate for the Union of Democrats for Lithuania is MP Jekaterina Rojaka. In addition, Lithuania’s Minister of Transport and Communications, Juras Taminskas of the ruling Lithuanian Social Democratic Party, is considering running for city mayor also.
Other candidates to the post of mayor include the city’s former mayor, MP Arturas Zuokas, who will run as an independent candidate. The Lithuanian Party of Regions has nominated community leader Violeta Fominiene-Salemone, while the National Alliance has selected MP Vytautas Sinica. The candidate for the Lithuania for Everyone party is its leader, Vilnius city councillor Aleksandras Nemunaitis. Finally, former TV host Kristupas Krivickas has been nominated by the People and Justice Union.