Early voting in presidential elections scheduled for May 12 began on Monday in Lithuania, while the citizens also vote in referendums on the introduction of dual citizenship and the reduction of the deputies in parliament from 141 to 121 deputies.

As the Main Election Commission reported, polling stations opened at 8:00 am local time across the country in the buildings of local governments, TASS reported.

Early voting is usually held within two days, however this time it was decided to extend it to five days.

There are nine candidates for the presidency. According to experts and polls, 54-year-old economist Gitanas Nauseda, 43-year-old former finance minister, member of parliament Ingrida Simonyte and 48-year-old prime minister Saulius Skvernelis are favorites of the presidential race. The current President of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė is in office for a second term and cannot qualify for a third one.