Lithuanian politician (1951?2024)
Gediminas Kirkilas
(
pronunciation
ⓘ
; 30 August 1951 ? 20 April 2024) was a Lithuanian politician who was
Prime Minister of Lithuania
from 2006 to 2008.
Life and career
[
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]
Kirkilas was born in
Vilnius
in 1951. After returning from mandatory military service, from 1972 to 1978 he worked on several cultural monuments (e.g. churches or the
Verkiai Palace
) restoring their interior and especially
rolled gold
and molding. In 1978?1982 he studied
political science
. After graduation, he joined the
Communist Party of Lithuania
and took various posts there. When
Algirdas Brazauskas
was appointed the secretary of the party, Kirkilas became his press secretary.
After independence was declared on 11 March 1990, Kirkilas was involved in the state matters and was elected to the
Seimas
seven times, representing the
Democratic Labour Party of Lithuania
(in 1992, 1996 and 2000) and the
Social Democratic Party of Lithuania
(in 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016). He was appointed the
Minister of National Defence of Lithuania
on 7 December 2004.
In 2004, he received an MBA from the
International Business School
in Vilnius.
Kirkilas was confirmed by the Seimas on 4 July 2006 after
Zigmantas Bal?ytis
, the provisional Prime Minister, failed to gather the required support from the parliament.
[2]
He stepped down on 27 November 2008 after the
2008 parliamentary elections
, and gave way to
Andrius Kubilius
to start his second term as the prime minister.
In January 2007 he was praised in
The Economist
as an unsung hero whose "minority administration has surpassed all expectations".
[3]
Kirkilas died in the morning on 20 April 2024, at the age of 72.
[4]
Gediminas Kirkilas and
Robert M. Gates
, 1 July 2008
Premiership of Gediminas Kirkilas
[
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]
During his time in office GDP rose by 21 percent, financing of socially sensitive areas increased, strategic decisions were made in the field of energy, personal income tax decreased and relations with Poland were strengthened. Kirkilas' Cabinet was criticized for its denial of coming economic crisis and for not obeying fiscal rules.
[
citation needed
]
Controversies
[
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]
In July 2007, Kirkilas signed the protocol assigning the members of newly formed governmental work group to assist the energy company "
Lietuvos energija
" in negotiating and consulting with potential foreign partners for a new
Ignalina nuclear power plant
project. A public turmoil followed after the name of
Darius Jurgelevi?ius
[
lt
]
occurred in the list of the work group. After the so-called State Security Department scandal in 2006, when a senior officer
Vytautas Poci?nas
died under controversial circumstances in a hotel in Belarus, the witnesses described Darius Jurgelevi?ius as a middleman transmitting then Lithuanian Foreign Ministry's clerk
Albinas Janu?ka
's influence to State Security Department. Albinas Janu?ka worked as G. Kirkilas's advisor.
[5]
In July 2007, before handing his powers to his successors,
Vidmantas Jankauskas
[
lt
]
the chairman of the State Price and Energy Control Commission spoke about the ties between gas companies and the Prime Minister Kirkilas, saying: "a gas company "
Lietuvos dujos
" is privately lobbying G. Kirkilas and the second Lithuanian monopolist gas company
Dujotekana
[
lt
]
? Ministry of Economics. CEO of Lietuvos dujos, Viktoras Valentukevi?ius, meets Kirkilas privately to play tennis".
[5]
In October 2014, Fair Observer featured an interview with Kirkilas where he spoke on his pro-nuclear energy stance.
[6]
References
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]
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1918?1940
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Lithuanian SSR
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since 1990
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Italics
indicate acting prime ministers
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