VILNIUS, May 17 (Reuters) - European Union budget commissioner Dalia Grybauskaite said on Sunday she had won Lithuania's presidential election outright and that there would be no need for a second round of voting.
'Yes, I think I won,' Grybauskaite, 53, a former finance minister who ran as an independent candidate, told reporters. 'I am grateful for the responsibility invested in me.'
She has promised to use the powers she has as president to help the recession-hit nation overcome an economic crisis.
To win in the first round, she needed at least 50 percent of votes cast and turnout of 50 percent.
She said she expected to win 70 percent of the votes and that turnout would be 52 percent.
With one third of votes counted, she had 68 percent backing and turnout was 50.63 percent, official results showed.
(Reporting by Nerijius Adomaitis, writing by Patrick Lannin) Keywords: LITHUANIA PRESIDENT/VOTE (Riga newsroom, patrick.lannin@reuters.com, patrick.lannin.reuters.com@reuters.net, +371 29 269 191) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
'Yes, I think I won,' Grybauskaite, 53, a former finance minister who ran as an independent candidate, told reporters. 'I am grateful for the responsibility invested in me.'
She has promised to use the powers she has as president to help the recession-hit nation overcome an economic crisis.
To win in the first round, she needed at least 50 percent of votes cast and turnout of 50 percent.
She said she expected to win 70 percent of the votes and that turnout would be 52 percent.
With one third of votes counted, she had 68 percent backing and turnout was 50.63 percent, official results showed.
(Reporting by Nerijius Adomaitis, writing by Patrick Lannin) Keywords: LITHUANIA PRESIDENT/VOTE (Riga newsroom, patrick.lannin@reuters.com, patrick.lannin.reuters.com@reuters.net, +371 29 269 191) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.