VILNIUS, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- Lithuania has been trying to follow economic examples of other countries as regards high quality public services, however, the essential problem is that the Baltic country has not yet found its own path to the well-being, Ingrida Simonyte, the newly elected Lithuanian conservatives' presidential candidate, said on Monday.
"Simply speaking, we are trying to be the U.S. and Sweden at the same time making promises to provide various public services to people yet avoiding speaking about the price of such a choice," Simonyte said in an interview with a local radio broadcaster LRT.
As regards long-term period, one of Lithuania's "substantial issues" which prevents the country from a major breakthrough is that "most perfect plans eventually turn into instrumental set of plans rather than clear determination of the state's obligations," she added.
On Sunday, Simonyte won a landslide victory in the primaries held throughout the weekend by Lithuania's conservative party Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats (TS-LKD). Simonyte, currently lawmaker and former minister of finance, was supported by 79 percent of voters, while her rival, diplomat Vygaudas Usackas obtained 21.
Other than TS-LKD, Lithuania's political forces, including the ruling Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union are yet to name their presidential candidates.
Lithuania will elect its next president on May 12, 2019.
The Baltic country's incumbent President Dalia Grybauskaite was reelected for a second consecutive term in 2014. According to Lithuania's constitution, the president is elected directly for a five-year term and can serve maximum of two terms consecutively.
