Vilnius, May 26 (IANS): Lithuania's "Iron Lady" Dalia Grybauskaite successfully defended her presidency during the presidential runoff, competing with social democratic contender Zigmantas Balcytis, the Central Electoral Commission (CEC)said Monday.
Grybauskaite scored 57.87 percent of the votes, compared with the 40.14 percent of votes polled by Balcytis, Xinhua reported.
The constitution of Lithuania regulates that the one with higher votes will be deemed elected in the presidential runoff.
Winner of a second term, Grybauskaite won some 68 percent of votes in the first round of presidential election in 2009, competing with six other candidates.
Her victory in 2009 saw the first female president in Lithuania's history.
Five years after 2009, she made history again being the first to consecutively serve as president of the Baltic country.
"No president has been elected twice in a row in Lithuania. It will be a historic victory for all of you," Grybauskaite said in an address to the nation as early results came in.
Her social democratic opponent, Balcytis, supported by Lithuania's Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevicius, failed to be elected as president, but succeeded in defending his membership in the European Parliament.
The 58-year-old nonpartisan Grybauskaite, who is unmarried and childless, will start her second term July 12.