Vytautas Sakalauskas

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Vytautas Sakalauskas (24 April 1933 – 29 May 2001) was a Soviet Lithuanian politician who was the last Chairman of the Council of Ministers (Prime Minister) of the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic before Lithuanian independence in 1990.

After graduation from Kaunas Polytechnic Institute in 1957, Sakalauskas worked in engineering and transportation departments of various communist institutions until 1969.[1] He joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1960. From 1969 to 1983, he was a member of the Vilnius branch of the Lithuanian Communist Party, becoming branch's first secretary in 1974.[1] Sakalauskas was elected to the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union in 1974 and the Supreme Soviet of the Lithuanian SSR in 1976. From 1985 to 1990, he was the Chairman of the Council of Ministers (equivalent to Prime Minister).

Sakalauskas was not re-elected to the Supreme Soviet in the parliamentary elections in 1990[2] and largely retired from Lithuanian politics. He headed Soviet trade mission in Maputo, Mozambique.[3] In preparation for the events of January 1991, KGB brought Sakalauskas to Moscow in an attempt to recruit him for the planned coup by the National Salvation Committee. Sakalauskas was offered to head the planned pro-Moscow government, but he refused and returned to Mozambique.[4] After the collapse of the Soviet Union, he returned to Lithuania and worked in private sector.[5]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 (Lithuanian) Jonas Zinkus, et al., ed. (1985–1988). "Sakalauskas, Vytautas". Tarybų Lietuvos enciklopedija III. Vilnius, Lithuania: Vyriausioji enciklopedijų redakcija. p. 611. LCC 86232954. 
  2. Senn, Afred Erich (1995). Gorbachev's Failure in Lithuania. St. Martin's Press. p. 56. ISBN 0-312-12457-0. 
  3. Pokorný, Dušan (1993). Efficiency and Justice in the Industrial World: The failure of the Soviet experiment. M.E. Sharpe. p. 257. ISBN 978-1-56324-139-0. 
  4. Senn, Afred Erich (1995). Gorbachev's Failure in Lithuania. St. Martin's Press. pp. 136–137. ISBN 0-312-12457-0. 
  5. Baltic News Service (31 May 2001). "Mirė sovietmečio Lietuvos premjeras V.Sakalauskas". Delfi.lt. 
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.