Algirdas Brazauskas

Infobox President
name = Algirdas Brazauskas

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|300px
order = First Secretary of Central Committee of Communist Party of Soviet republic of Lithuania
term_start = 1988
term_end = 1989
predecessor = Ringaudas Bronislovas Songaila
successor = Mykolas Burokevičius
order2 = President of Lithuania
term_start2 = February 25, 1993
term_end2 = February 25, 1998
predecessor2 = Vytautas Landsbergis
successor2 = Valdas Adamkus
order3 = Prime Minister of Lithuania
term_start3 = July 3, 2001
term_end3 = May 31, 2006
predecessor3 = Eugenijus Gentvilas
successor3 = Zigmantas Balčytis
birth_date = birth date and age|1932|9|22|mf=y
birth_place = Rokiškis, Lithuania
party = Lithuanian Social Democratic Party
spouse = Kristina Brazauskienė

Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas (pronunciation|Algirdas Brazauskas.ogg, born September 22, 1932) was President of Lithuania from 1993 to 1998 and Prime Minister from 2001 to 2006. His government resigned on 31 May 2006 after the large Labour Party left the governing coalition [http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2006/05/713c6d5d-bd5e-40f5-8fa0-2e1ccf268328.html] .

Biography

Brazauskas 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). Brazauskas wasChairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet (head of state) from January 15, to March 11, 1990.

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 President 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 Prime Minister, and announced that he was finally retiring from politics.

Even so, he led the ruling Social Democratic Party of Lithuania for one more year, until May 19, 2007, when he passed the reins to Gediminas Kirkilas. He now serves as the honorary chairman of the party, and remains an influential voice in party politics.

Algirdas Brazauskas is an Honorary Member of [http://www.raoulwallenberg.net The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation] .

External links

* [http://www.baltictimes.com/news/articles/15583/ Latvian times article on resignation]