This time, Gitanas Nausėda, serving his second term as president, found himself in a hazardous situation.
In the second half of November, the company Baltijos Tyrimai conducted its traditional survey, in which adult residents of the country were asked who, in their opinion, people had made the biggest impression or stood out the most in 2025, as well as which events in Lithuania and the world they considered to be the most important.
Of course, December was also full of colourful and dramatic events, so it is understandable that if the survey had been conducted later, the results might have been different.
Nausėda won the Person of the Year title for the seventh year in a row. However, only 10.9% of respondents voted for him (last year, this figure was 21%). This is the lowest figure in the poll's history, which began in 1993.
Until now, the lowest number of votes – 13% – was received in 1996 by Vytautas Landsbergis, former Chairman of the Supreme Council-Restorative Seimas.
There are probably several reasons why Nausėda's authority has declined so much. The population has probably noticed the country's leader's not always explainable pandering to the ruling coalition and his hesitation in making important decisions. The president did not appear to be a moral leader of the state, and many people expect the head of state to have a decisive voice at critical moments.
Perhaps one of Nausėda's biggest missteps was when, while visiting the US, he spoke remotely with Ignotas Adomavičius, a relative of Remigijus Žemaitaitis, leader of the ruling coalition party Nemuno Aušra, and blessed him as Minister of Culture. The latter, a controversial figure, managed to serve as minister for just a week. There were more presidential decisions or statements this year that provoked adverse reactions from parts of society.
Incidentally, Nausėda was more often chosen as Person of the Year by people over 65, respondents with secondary or lower education, pensioners, workers, and farmers.
Adamkus – record holder
In second place among the candidates for the title of Person of the Year, residents named former President Valdas Adamkus (9.6%), who celebrated his 99th birthday in November 2025. This anniversary was covered by the media, which may have influenced some respondents.
In any case, the former president was only slightly behind Nausėda. It is worth noting that Adamkus is a record holder of sorts – he is the only politician in the country who has been named among the five most popular People of the Year in Baltijos Tyrimai polls almost every year since 1994. He has only failed to make the top five twice in the last 32 years – in 2010 and 2013.
The results of multiple polls show that respondents do not necessarily name people who did something significant that year as the most popular people in Lithuania, but rather those who have made an impression on them at some point in the past. This explains why politicians such as Dalia Grybauskaitė and Landsbergis, or traveller Aurimas Valujavičius, are among the top ten most popular people this year.
Third place in this poll went to Žemaitaitis, whose party, Nemuno Aušra, managed to remain in the changed ruling coalition.
This controversial politician was second only to Nausėda, who was voted Person of the Year last year, and this year, he was probably the most talked-about figure in the public sphere and the media.
Survey participants ranked public figure Andrius Tapinas in a high fourth place, perhaps best remembered for the so-called cheque scandal he sparked. It can be said that Inga Ruginienė, who became prime minister in September, received a vote of confidence, as she was among the top five most popular figures.
Baltijos Tyrimai has been conducting the Person of the Year poll in Lithuania for 33 years. The name of the first winner of this title, President Algirdas Brazauskas, was announced in the daily newspaper Lietuvos Rytas at the end of 1993. These polls do not provide a list of names; residents themselves list the names of the people they believe are most deserving.
This time, 125 public figures were mentioned (76 last year). Politicians dominated the list again with 61 (39 last year), followed by representatives of the entertainment industry, TV hosts, journalists, TV show participants, actors, directors, singers – 38 (14 last year), athletes, coaches – 18 (11 last year), other public figures (doctors, scientists, entrepreneurs, clergy, writers) – 8 (12 last year). A quarter of those surveyed did not indicate who could be named Person of the Year.