Gintautas Paluckas (Lithuanian: [ˈɡʲɪntˠɐʊtˠɐs pˠɐˈlˠʊtskˠɐs]; born 19 August 1979) is a Lithuanian politician serving as the 18th prime minister of Lithuania since December 2024. Paluckas served as Deputy Mayor of Vilnius from 2015 to 2019, as the leader of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP) from 2017 to 2021 and has been a member of the Seimas since the 2020 election.
In the 2024 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Paluckas ran in the single-member constituency of Utena but finished third. Despite this, the LSDP won the overall election, and Paluckas secured a seat in the Seimas via the party's proportional representation list. Subsequently, he was nominated and confirmed as Prime Minister of Lithuania.[1] The inclusion of the Dawn of Nemunas in the ruling coalition sparked controversy and condemnation from human rights organizations and Lithuania's Jewish community.[2][3]
Education
Gintautas Paluckas was born on 19 August 1979 in Panevėžys.[4] His father worked as an engineer and his mother as an economist.[5] In 1997 Paluckas graduated from Panevėžys J. Balčikonis Gymnasium. From 2000 to 2001 he studied English at a language school in London.[6] In 2003, he graduated from the Vilnius University Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics, and from International Business School in 2004. Starting that year, he studied at VU Faculty of Law.[7]
From 2013 Paluckas was Executive Secretary of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party, Member of the LSDP Council and Board.
From 2015 to 2019 Paluckas served as Deputy Mayor of Vilnius.[4] During the peak of the 2015 European migrant crisis, he proposed that the city consider forming Arabic-language kindergarten groups to accommodate incoming refugees.[10]
After the leadership election of the LSDP, the party decided to leave the ruling coalition via a survey of all its members. A majority of the LSDP's Seimas members left the party to form a new one, the Social Democratic Labour Party of Lithuania (LSDDP), and remained in the ruling coalition.[18] According to former party leader and Lithuanian Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius, Paluckas began to divide his own and foreign members, and then split the party and monitored those who supported his party rival Mindaugas Sinkevičius in the election for party leader.[19]
Paluckas was reelected as leader of the party in 2019.[20]
In 2020 Paluckas was elected to the Lithuanian parliament as the leader of the party. He finished second in the single-member constituency of Utena,[23] following a recount due to receiving exactly the same number of votes as his opponent in the initial tally.[24] Nonetheless, Paluckas secured a seat in the nationwide constituency using proportional representation.[25] However, following the 2020 parliamentary election, in which the LSDP saw a reduction in its seats—from seventeen to thirteen—Paluckas was challenged over the party's performance.[26] He also faced criticism over his decision to support the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union candidates in the second round of elections.[citation needed] Initially, he stated his willingness to take part in the leadership elections of 2021.
Resignation
On 22 January 2021, Paluckas resigned from his position as leader of the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania, responding to the party council's assessment that the 2020 Lithuanian parliamentary election results were unsatisfactory and that his leadership did not meet the expected standards.[27][26]
2024 Lithuanian parliamentary election
Paluckas, the Deputy Leader of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP), participated in the 2024 Lithuanian parliamentary election. He finished third in the single-member constituency of Utena,[28] and Paluckas secured a seat in the Seimas through the proportional representation system, drawing on his position in the LSDP's candidate list.[29]
Nomination for Prime Minister of Lithuania
On 30 October 2024, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, the leader of the Social Democratic Party, announced at a press conference that she would not be the party's candidate for Prime Minister. Blinkevičiūtė disclosed that the party's presidium had decided to propose Paluckas as the nominee for the office of Prime Minister of Lithuania.[30]
Throughout the campaign, Blinkevičiūtė had indicated her interest in assuming the Prime Minister role if her party succeeded. However, at the press conference, she cited personal considerations, including age and health, as factors influencing her decision to step back from the role. She confirmed her intention to complete her term as a Member of the European Parliament, which extends to 2029.[30]
The Social Democratic Party presidium unanimously decided to nominate Paluckas. According to Blinkevičiūtė, Paluckas was selected because of his extensive experience in both local government and national politics. Additionally, it was noted that Paluckas had received significant public support, with 60,000 Lithuanian residents voting for him.[31] According to official election data, Paluckas received 58,827 first-place votes, placing him second on the party list, following Blinkevičiūtė, who led with 91,526 votes, and ahead of Juozas Olekas, who ranked third with 48,470 votes.[32]
During the same press event, Paluckas announced his intention to proceed with consultations regarding the formation of a centre-left coalition. He confirmed plans to continue discussions with political groups previously dismissed by Blinkevičiūtė, including the nationalist Dawn of Nemunas Party.[33]
President Gitanas Nausėda confirmed that he was informed in advance about Blinkevičiūtė's decision not to submit her candidacy. Nausėda also confirmed that he was aware of the circumstances that could prevent Blinkevičiūtė from holding the position of Prime Minister. Nausėda refused to name these circumstances, stating that it would be unethical.[34]
In addition to his political career, Gintautas Paluckas has been actively involved in various social and community initiatives. He has championed causes related to education, social welfare, and environmental sustainability. Paluckas has also been a vocal advocate for digital innovation and modernization within government services, aiming to improve efficiency and accessibility for all citizens. His efforts in promoting transparency and accountability in public administration have earned him recognition both locally and internationally.[35]
Opposition viewpoints
On 31 October, Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė stated that Paluckas lacks sufficient experience within the executive branch. Šimonytė further commented that Paluckas has limited experience, predominantly gained while working in the Vilnius city municipality administration. She also highlighted that Paluckas has a criminal conviction related to abuse of public office.[36] On 30 October, Speaker of the Seimas Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen expressed that Blinkevičiūtė's nomination decision was unacceptable, as it undermines the trust in commitments made during the electoral campaign.[37]
Coalition viewpoints
Linas Kukuraitis, representing the Union of Democrats "For Lithuania", commended Paluckas on his professionalism and commitment to political dialogue, as well as his ties with nongovernmental organizations and trade unions in Lithuania. Paluckas was also praised by Remigijus Motuzas, speaking for the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania, stating that "with his persistent work in the Seimas during the last parliamentary term, he has clearly demonstrated that, even in opposition, it is possible to do a lot of things and to implement one's own priorities".[38]
On 21 November, Paluckas was nominated as the Prime Minister by the Seimas, with 88 votes in favor – all members of parliament of the coalition, as well as Artūras Zuokas and Vitalijus Šeršniovas.[38]
Conviction
On 7 December 2010, the First District Court of the city of Vilnius found Paluckas guilty of abuse of office and sentenced him to two years of imprisonment with a one-year suspension, ordering him not to leave his place of residence for more than seven days without the consent of the institution supervising the suspension of the sentence. The court found that Paluckas had abused office during the public tender for rodent extermination services in Vilnius. Paluckas was ordered to pay over fifty-seven thousand litas damage to Vilnius city municipality.[39]
In 2012 the verdict by the First District Court of the city of Vilnius was upheld by the final and unappealable decision of the Supreme Court of Lithuania First District Court of the city of Vilnius: Paluckas was found guilty of abuse of office in a non-transparent public procurement tender.[40]
Controversies
In February 2018, the Central Electoral Commission investigated claims that Gintautas Paluckas's brother Danas, then serving on the Palanga City Council, had been convicted of a crime in Italy in 2006 but had failed to declare this fact when running for office.[41][42][43][44] As a result, Danas Paluckas was stripped of his mandate, but denied any wrongdoing. Later in 2018 it was revealed by the State Security Department of Lithuania that the MG Baltic business group had fabricated the Italy story as disinformation in order to smear Gintautas Paluckas by association, allegedly because the company was dissatisfied with his leadership of the LSDP.[43]
In October 2024, an investigation conducted by Linas Jegelevičius for the regional newspaper Palangos tiltas revealed that Palanga City Council member Svetlana Tučkė held the position of Seimas assistant for two different members of the Lithuanian Parliament: Gintautas Paluckas and Tomas Bičiūnas [lt]. From November 2020 to January 2021, Tučkė, a fellow member of the Social Democratic Party, was employed as an assistant to Paluckas with a workload of 125%. From January 2021 Tučkė worked full-time for Paluckas and 25%-time for Bičiūnas; at the same time, she served as a member of the Palanga City Council.[45]
In November 2024, the Baltic News Service (BNS) published investigations into the companies Garnis and Emus, both jointly owned by Paluckas and Mindaugas Milašauskas. BNS revealed that the battery storage company Garnis, in which Paluckas holds a 49% stake, purchases lithium iron phosphate batteries from China.[46] Garnis CEO Andrius Aglinskas stated that the company's products are still in a prototype phase, but did not rule out that the final product could incorporate batteries from China due to the lack of European-made equivalents. The home appliance company Emus, in which Paluckas holds a 51% stake, aims to implement a "zero China policy", but imports some components from China, allegedly accounting for under 1% of its raw material purchases.[47] The reports emerged shortly after Paluckas had announced his intention to normalize China-Lithuania relations, which had been severed by China due to the previous Lithuanian government's support for opening a Taiwanese Representative Office in Vilnius.[48]
Personal life
Gintautas Paluckas is married to Ilma Paluckė.[49] They have two children.[5] As of 2023, Paluckas was the second-wealthiest member of the Seimas, with €2.13 million in assets.[50] His family owns a walnut orchard in Turkey as well as a plot of land in Brazil.[9]
^ abcLėka, Aušra (6 November 2024). "Koks bus Gintautas Pirmasis" (in Lithuanian). Kauno diena. Archived from the original on 3 December 2024. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
^"Autorius: Gintautas Paluckas" [Author: Gintautas Paluckas]. lrt.lt (in Lithuanian). 24 April 2019. Archived from the original on 30 November 2024. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
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