Stunt-pilot president

last updated 8 January 2015

Vilnius

A flamboyant former prime minister with a populist bent soared from behind to take the Lithuanian presidency in an upset this week. Rolandas Paksas, 46, won by promising to crack down on crime and help Lithuanians left behind by the transition from communism to democracy. A stunt pilot, he burnished his energetic image by performing daring stunts at rallies, such as flying his propeller plane under a low bridge. Incumbent Valdas Adamkus, 76, who was widely expected to win re-election, barely campaigned at all. Adamkus was busy finishing up the negotiations that earned his country an invitation into the European Union. Paksas, whose campaign slogan was “Vote for Change,” immediately announced that Lithuania’s policy of seeking greater engagement with the West, at least, “will not change.”