Gediminas Kirkilas is a former Prime Minister of Lithuania

Prime Minister of Lithuania

The Prime Minister of Lithuania is the head of the executive arm of Lithuania's government, and is chosen by the Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas. The modern office of Prime Minister was established in 1990, although the official title was "Chairperson of the Council of Ministers" until 25...

 (2006–2008). He was appointed on 4 July 2006 after Zigmantas Balčytis

Zigmantas Balcytis

Zigmantas Balčytis is a former acting Prime Minister of Lithuania. He took office on 1 June 2006 following the resignation of Algirdas Brazauskas, but failed to be approved by the Parliament to become Prime Minister. He was succeeded on 4 July by Gediminas Kirkilas...

, the provisional Prime Minister, failed to gather the required support from the Seimas

Seimas

The Seimas is the unicameral Lithuanian parliament. It has 141 members that are elected for a four-year term. About half of the members of this legislative body are elected in individual constituencies , and the other half are elected by nationwide vote according to proportional representation...

. Kirkilas managed to get the necessary support from the Seimas on 4 July 2006 (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5144670.stm). He stepped down on 27 November 2008 after the 2008 parliamentary elections, and gave way to Andrius Kubilius

Andrius Kubilius

Andrius Kubilius is a Lithuanian politician who has been Prime Minister of Lithuania since 2008. He previously served as Prime Minister from 1999 to 2000. He is the leader of the conservative political party Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats.- Biography :Kubilius was born at Vilnius...

 to start his term as prime minister.

After he returned from mandatory military service, from 1972 to 1978 he worked in many cultural monuments (e.g. churches or the Verkiai Palace

Verkiai Palace

Verkiai Palace is an 18th century neoclassical mansion in Verkiai, Vilnius, Lithuania.- History :Until the end of 14th century this place was a property of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania. There was a wooden manor even in 13th century. In 1387 Lithuanian Grand Duke Jogaila, on occasion of accepting...

) restoring their interior and especially rolled gold and moldeling. In 1978–1982 he was a student of Political science

Political science

Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...

. After graduation he joined the Communist Party of Lithuania

Communist Party of Lithuania

The Communist Party of Lithuania was a communist party in Lithuania, established in early October 1918. The party was banned in December 1926.-History:...

 and took various posts there. After Algirdas Brazauskas

Algirdas Brazauskas

Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas was the first President of a newly independent post-Soviet Union Lithuania from 1993 to 1998 and Prime Minister from 2001 to 2006....

 became the secretary of the party, Kirkilas became his press secretary.

Since independence was declared on 11 March 1990, Kirkilas was involved in the state matters and was elected five times (in 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008) to the Seimas

Seimas

The Seimas is the unicameral Lithuanian parliament. It has 141 members that are elected for a four-year term. About half of the members of this legislative body are elected in individual constituencies , and the other half are elected by nationwide vote according to proportional representation...

 under the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania

Social Democratic Party of Lithuania

The Social Democratic Party of Lithuania is a centre-left and social democratic political party in Lithuania. It is the oldest party in Lithuania, founded in 1896. The party's president since 2009 is Algirdas Butkevičius. The party led a minority government in the unicameral Seimas, Lithuania's...

 ballot. He became defense minister of Lithuania on 7 December 2004.

In 2004, he received an MBA from the International Business School

International Business School of Vilnius University

Vilnius University International Business School or VU IBS is a private university in Lithuania. VU IBS was established by Vilnius University, but now is an independent institution offering bachelor's, master's, and professional degrees in business, management and economics.- History :*1989 −...

 in Vilnius.

In January 2007 he was praised in The Economist

The Economist

The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...

as an unsung hero whose "minority administration has surpassed all expectations".^{http://www.economist.com/daily/columns/europeview/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8491837}

Criticism and public perception

In July 2007, Kirkilas signed the protocol assigning the members of newly formed governmental workgroup to assist the energy company „Lietuvos energija

Lietuvos Energija

Lietuvos Energija is the main power company in Lithuania. It owns the largest power plant in Lithuania Elektrėnai Power Plant and directly owns two largest hydroelectric plants in the country . It has also stake in the Klaipėda Geothermal Demonstration Plant...

“ in negotiating and consulting with potential foreign partners for a new Ignalina nuclear power plant

Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant

The Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant is a closed two-unit RBMK-1500 nuclear power station in Visaginas, Lithuania. It was named after the nearby city of Ignalina...

 project. A public turmoil followed after occurrence of Darius' Jurgelevičius name in the list of the work group. After the so-called State Security Departament scandal in 2006, when a senior officer Vytautas Pociūnas

Vytautas Pociunas

Vytautas Pociūnas was a physicist, officer of the Lithuanian State Security Department, and diplomat.- Career :...

 died under controversial circumstances in a hotel in Belarus

Belarus

Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...

; the witnesses described Darius Jurgelevičius as a middleman transmitting then Lithuanian Foreign Ministry's clerk Albinas's Januška influence to State Security Departament. Albinas Januška currently works as G. Kirkilas's advisor.

In July 2007, before handing his powers to his successors, Vidmantas Jankauskas the chairman of Governmental prices & energy control commission Valstybinė kainų ir energetikos kontrolės komisija spoke about the ties between Gas companies & the Prime Minister G.Kirkilas, saying: a gas company „„Lietuvos dujos

Lietuvos Dujos

AB Lietuvos dujos is the main natural gas company in Lithuania. Established in 1961, it deals in the imports, transmission, distribution and sales of the natural gas. Its market share is about 45% in Lithuania. Lietuvos dujos is owned by E.ON Ruhrgas , Gazprom and Lithuanian State Property Fund ....

“ is privately lobbying G.Kirkilas and the second Lithuanian monopilist gas company „Dujotekana“ - Ministry of Economics. „Lietuvos dujos

Lietuvos Dujos

AB Lietuvos dujos is the main natural gas company in Lithuania. Established in 1961, it deals in the imports, transmission, distribution and sales of the natural gas. Its market share is about 45% in Lithuania. Lietuvos dujos is owned by E.ON Ruhrgas , Gazprom and Lithuanian State Property Fund ....

“ CEO Viktoras Valentukevičius meets Kirkilas privately to play tennis.