Adamkus again Lithuanian president

77-year-old Valdas Adamkus has become Lithuanian president for a second time. Chairman of the Main Election Commission Zenonas Vaigauskas said at a press conference on Monday that after the votes were counted in all 2,038 precincts it turned out that Adamkus received 51.63% of the votes, and his rival at the elections, ex-premier Kazimiera Danute Prunskiene, -- 46.91%. A total of 714,349 people voted for Adamkus and 649,042 for Prunskiene. 52.38% of all citizens, who have the right to vote, (there are 2,064,000 of them in Lithuania), have participated in the election of a new head of state.

The population of major cities mainly voted for Adamkus. In Vilnius he was supported by 54% of the voters, in Kaunas - by 69%, in Siauliai - by 53% and in Panevezys - by 59%. Prunskiene won in Klaipeda receiving 0.12% more votes. Citizens from the northern and eastern regions of the country mainly voted for her. In Visaginas she received 91% of the votes. In the Vilnius region 76% voted for her and in Salcininkai - 89%.

The final official results of the voting will be announced within five days, most likely on Friday, July 2, according to Vaigauskas. The inauguration of the new president will take place on July 12.

The extraordinary elections of the Lithuanian president were conducted because in early April president Rolandas Paksas was removed from his post as a result of impeachment for gross violation of the Constitution and of the oath.

Valdas Adamkus was born on November 3, 1926 in Kaunas. In July 1944 emigrated to Germany with his parents, then lived in the U.S. In 1960 he graduated from Illinois Institute of Technology as an architectural engineer.

From the beginning of the 1980s he worked in the environmental protection agency, then was appointed the agency's administrator for the fifth U.S. region. He participated in the activity of the Lithuanian emigres. In 1998 was elected President of Lithuania and occupied this post till February 25, 2003.

During the election campaign Adamkus was supported by all leading political parties of the country. He does not belong to any party.

Adamkus is married with no children.