Overshadowed by Russia’s war against Ukraine, Lithuania elected a new head of state by direct vote on Sunday. The 59-year-old incumbent Gitanas Nausėda was the clear favourite in the race for the highest office in the Baltic EU and NATO member state, which borders the Russian Baltic Sea exclave of Kaliningrad and Russia’s ally Belarus. Seven candidates ran against the independent politician, among whom there was only one woman, the current Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė. Meaningful results were expected during the night. If no candidate achieves an absolute majority, the two best-placed candi…