The Position of Artūras Zuokas in the Field of Lithuanian Political Competition: Sociological Analysis

Abstract

Discussions about the electoral behaviour are very common in the Lithuanian public sphere. However, there is a lack of academic articles that would focus on the electorates of particular parties or politicians and would employ quantitative analysis. The context of first direct mayoral elections in Lithuania (March 2015) that coincided with the electoral defeat of long-term Vilnius mayor Artūras Zuokas provides a perfect opportunity to analyze the social support base of this politician. This article employs data from representative survey and uses quantitative methods for the analysis of Artūras Zuokas position in the field of Lithuanian national political competition. Three subsets of analysis are discerned in the article: objective individual, subjective individual and voting in the territorial electoral districts. Empirical analysis suggests that the sociological profile of former Vilnius mayor is center-right, similar to the liberals and conservatives.