Dalia Grybauskaite cinched nearly 70% of the vote for the presidential elections in Lithuania. Grybauskaite has been the European Commissioner responsible for Financial Programming and Budget since 2004. An unprecedented 51% of registered voters turned out for this election, making it possible for Grybauskaite to secure the presidency in the first round of elections in a system where two rounds is usually required.
Despite her great achievements and mass popularity with the Lithuanian people, the Lithuanian media is apparently in the habit of focusing on her marital status and questions about her sexuality . . . imagine that. I suppose that continues to be the price of being a high-profile strong woman. And she is not just a strong woman, she is a strong woman with a black-belt in karate currently celebrating an epic, land-slide presidential victory. Rock on Dalia! –Emma Onstott
info: Baltic Times photo: EU2007
