Algirdas Brazauskas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas (pronunciation (help·info), born September 22, 1932) is a former President of Lithuania and a former Prime Minister. His government resigned on 31 May 2006 after the large Labour Party left the governing coalition [1].
He was born in Rokiškis, Lithuania, and graduated from Kaunas Polytechnic Institute in 1956 with a degree in civil engineering. He took various positions in the government of Lithuanian SSR and Communist Party of Lithuania since 1965:
- 1965-1967, the minister of construction materials industry of Lithuanian SSR.
- 1967-1977, deputy chairman of State Planning Committee of Lithuanian SSR.
- 1977-1987, secretary of Central Committee of Communist Party of Lithuania.
In 1988, he became the first secretary of the Communist Party of Lithuania. Under his leadership, the Communist Party of Lithuania supported the Lithuanian independence movement, broke away from the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and transformed itself into social-democratic Democratic Labour Party of Lithuania (now merged into the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party).
After the 1992 parliamentary elections, he became speaker of the parliament and acting President of Lithuania on November 25, 1992. He then won the presidential election with 60% of the vote, was confirmed as President on February 25, 1993, and served until February 25, 1998. He decided not to seek reelection, and retire, in 1998 and was succeeded by Valdas Adamkus, who won the 1998 election.
He subsequently returned to politics, and was Prime Minister from July 3, 2001, appointed by the parliament, until June 1, 2006, when his government resigned as the President of Lithuania, Valdas Adamkus expressed no confidence in two of the Ministers, formerly Labour Party colleagues of Brazauskas, over ethical principles. Brazauskas decided not to remain in office as acting PM, and announced that he was finally retiring from politics.
[edit] See also
 |
This Lithuanian biographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
| Preceded by: Vytautas Landsbergis as Chairman of the Supreme Council |
President of Lithuania 1993 – 1998 |
Succeeded by: Valdas Adamkus |
| Preceded by: Eugenijus Gentvilas |
Prime Minister of Lithuania 2001 – 2006 |
Succeeded by: Zigmantas Balčytis |
