Lithuanians return to the polls with incumbent president favored to win 2nd election round

VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — Lithuanians are returning to the polls for the second round of the Baltic country’s presidential election as incumbent President Gitanas Nausėda seeks to hold off Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė and win another five-year term. On Sunday, voters will decide whether the banker-turned-politician, who won the first round, will hold the Baltic country’s top office. In NATO-member Lithuania, the president’s main tasks are overseeing foreign and defense policy, along with acting as the supreme commander of the armed forces. The election comes as Russian gains in Ukraine are fueling greater fears about Moscow’s intentions, particularly in the strategically important Baltic region. Lithuania’s Central Electoral Commission is expected to announce the outcome of the election on Monday.