VILNIUS — Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė has joined the likes of U.S. President Barack Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and put her profile on the social networking site Facebook.
“The president wants to keep up with modern life,” presidential spokesman Linas Balsys said.
Balsys said fans and supporters of the president will be able to discuss issues, exchange opinions and comments on the president’s profile.
On Tuesday Grybauskaitė’s profile became active on the website. She already has hundreds of friends and many more are waiting for approval.
The move, which has been termed “interesting” by e-governance experts, will open up a different aspect of the president’s personality.
“Facebook will host the unofficial information about the president and her activities. For example, photos related to her leisure activities — the president’s official webpage does not contain all the information,” Balsys said.
The Facebook profile follows on from the president’s fan page that was successful in distributing information leading up the election earlier this year.
The fan page had around 5,000 members, but those who want to switch across to the member profile should act fast as the website has a 5,000-friend limit per user.
The president’s team will assist Grybauskaitė in posting information on her profile, but she will also contribute personally to the page time to time.
Hey lets not forget NZ PM John Key!