Rolandas Paksas
Encyclopedia
Rolandas Paksas is a Lithuania
n politician who was President of Lithuania from 2003 to 2004. He was previously Prime Minister of Lithuania
in 1999 and again from 2000 to 2001, and he also served as Mayor of Vilnius from 1997 to 1999 and again from 2000 to 2001. He has led Order and Justice since 2004 and has been a Member of the European Parliament
since 2009.
A national aerobatics
champion in the 1980s, after the collapse of the Soviet Union
, Paksas founded a construction company, Restako. In 1997, he was elected to Vilnius City Council for the centre-right
Homeland Union and became mayor. In May 1999, Paksas was appointed Prime Minister, but resigned five months later after a disagreement over privatisation
. Paksas joined the Liberal Union of Lithuania
(LLS) in 2000. The LLS won the 2000 election
, and Paksas became PM again, but he left within seven months after another dispute over economic reforms.
In 2002, Paksas founded the Liberal Democratic Party
, and ran for the presidency
, winning the run-off against incumbent Valdas Adamkus
in January 2003. It emerged that he had granted citizenship to a major campaign donor, leading to his impeachment
and removal from office in April 2004. He is the only Europe
an head of state
to have been impeached. Barred from the Seimas
, Paksas was elected to the European Parliament
in 2009
, while leading his party, now called Order and Justice (TT), and seeking to overturn the ban.
, Lithuanian SSR
, Soviet Union
. His parents are Elena and Feliksas Paksai. In 1974, he finished Zemaites High School and continued studies in Vilnius Gediminas Technical Institute. Paksas received a degree in civil engineering in 1979. In 1984, he graduated Leningrad
Civil Aviation Academy.
During this period, he competed in aerobatics competitions, participating in both Soviet and Lithuanian teams and winning several championships.
From 1992 to 1997, Rolandas Paksas was the President of the construction company "Restako".
(LKP) and its successor leftist Democratic Labour Party
(LDDP) in 1995 switched his political orientation in favour of conservative right Homeland Union (Lithuanian Conservatives). In 1997 Paksas was elected to Vilnius City Council and became the Mayor of the Vilnius city municipality
. Paksas also served as chairman of the Vilnius branch of the Homeland Union (Lithuanian Conservatives)
.
In May 1999, Vagnorius stepped down and President Valdas Adamkus
asked Paksas to become the Prime Minister. The Conservatives had 68 of the Seimas' 138 seats and were part of an 81-member coalition with the Lithuanian Christian Democrats
.
In June 1999, he became Prime Minister, heading the ninth Government after independence. Five months later, he resigned because of a disagreement over the sale of Mažeikių Nafta
, a major Lithuanian oil refining company, to a US oil company. He then served as Special Assignments envoy to Adamkus.
After leaving Homeland Union Paksas joined Liberal Union of Lithuania
and in April 2000, he became the Mayor of the Vilnius city municipality again. In 2000, he was elected as the Prime Minister in the eleventh Cabinet and served from November 2000 to June 2001. In March 2002, Paksas was elected as a chairman of his newly founded Liberal Democratic Party.
in a runoff. In the first round of elections, Paksas finished second with 19.7% of vote but, in the runoff, he gathered 54.9%. His platform included pledges to reduce proverty and income disparities, introduce the death penalty for drug traffickers, and move Lithuania towards a more market-based economy.
On 26 February 2003 his term as a President began. During his term, concerns arose that he had ties to the Russian mafia
. Yuri Borisov, president of the aviation company Avia Baltika, had donated $400,000 to his campaign, and was given Lithuanian citizenship by Paksas' decree. This decree was later ruled to be unconstitutional by Constitutional Court of Lithuania. Paksas' connections were investigated by the Department of Security. In early 2004, the Seimas started impeachment
proceedings against him. On 31 March 2004 the Constitutional Court of Lithuania found him guilty of violating the constitution and his oath of office. On April 6, 2004, the Parliament (Seimas
) voted on three charges: that he had leaked classified information about his investigation to Borisov; that he had improperly restored Borisov's citizenship; and that he had interfered in a privatization transaction. The vote passed, effectively removing Paksas from the presidency.
The District Court of Vilnius found Paksas not guilty of disclosing classified information (state secrets). This decision was reversed in 2005 by the Court of Appeals of the Republic of Lithuania, on the basis that the District Court had not linked all the supporting evidence. The Appeals Court, while finding Paksas guilty of a criminal act, did not impose a penalty, stating that Paksas's departure from public service meant that he no longer posed a threat.
In 2011, the European Court of Human Rights
found the lifetime prohibition for Paksas to be elected to the parliament to be disproportionate and thus in violation of the European Convention on Human Rights
.
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n politician who was President of Lithuania from 2003 to 2004. He was previously 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...
in 1999 and again from 2000 to 2001, and he also served as Mayor of Vilnius from 1997 to 1999 and again from 2000 to 2001. He has led Order and Justice since 2004 and has been a Member of the European Parliament
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
since 2009.
A national aerobatics
Aerobatics
Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in normal flight. Aerobatics are performed in airplanes and gliders for training, recreation, entertainment and sport...
champion in the 1980s, after the collapse of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, Paksas founded a construction company, Restako. In 1997, he was elected to Vilnius City Council for the centre-right
Centre-right
The centre-right or center-right is a political term commonly used to describe or denote individuals, political parties, or organizations whose views stretch from the centre to the right on the left-right spectrum, excluding far right stances. Centre-right can also describe a coalition of centrist...
Homeland Union and became mayor. In May 1999, Paksas was appointed Prime Minister, but resigned five months later after a disagreement over privatisation
Privatization
Privatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency or public service from the public sector to the private sector or to private non-profit organizations...
. Paksas joined the Liberal Union of Lithuania
Liberal Union of Lithuania
The Liberal Union of Lithuania was a political party in Lithuania. It had 33 of 141 members of the Seimas.In 2003 it merged with two smaller parties to form the Liberal and Centre Union.-See also:*Liberalism*Contributions to liberal theory...
(LLS) in 2000. The LLS won the 2000 election
Lithuanian parliamentary election, 2000
More than 58 per cent of the 2.6 million eligible voters turned out in the 8 October 2000 Lithuanian parliamentary election to choose from among the 1,180 candidates contesting the 70 seats allocated in the Seimas via proportional representation lists, and some 700 candidates competing for the 71...
, and Paksas became PM again, but he left within seven months after another dispute over economic reforms.
In 2002, Paksas founded the Liberal Democratic Party
Liberal Democratic Party (Lithuania)
Order and Justice , formerly the Liberal Democratic Party , is a centre-right national liberal political party in Lithuania, though it self-identifies as 'left-of-centre'...
, and ran for the presidency
Lithuanian presidential election, 2002–2003
Presidential elections were held in Lithuania during December 2002 and January 2003. In the first round on December 22, 2002, Valdas Adamkus held a large lead over Rolandas Paksas of the Liberal democratic party. Paksas defeated Adamkus in the second round held on January 5, 2003....
, winning the run-off against incumbent Valdas Adamkus
Valdas Adamkus
Valdas Adamkus was President of Lithuania from 1998 to 2003 and again from 2004 to 2009.In Lithuania, the President's tenure lasts for five years; Adamkus' first term in office began on February 26, 1998 and ended on February 28, 2003, following his defeat by Rolandas Paksas in the next...
in January 2003. It emerged that he had granted citizenship to a major campaign donor, leading to his impeachment
Impeachment
Impeachment is a formal process in which an official is accused of unlawful activity, the outcome of which, depending on the country, may include the removal of that official from office as well as other punishment....
and removal from office in April 2004. He is the only Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an head of state
Head of State
A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
to have been impeached. Barred 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...
, Paksas was elected to the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
in 2009
European Parliament election, 2009 (Lithuania)
The European Parliament election of 2009 in Lithuania was the election of the delegation from Lithuania to the European Parliament in 2009. It was a part of the wider 2009 European election...
, while leading his party, now called Order and Justice (TT), and seeking to overturn the ban.
Early life, education and non-political career
Born in TelšiaiTelšiai
Telšiai , is a city in Lithuania with about 35,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of Telšiai County and Samogitia region, and it is located on Lake Mastis.-Names:...
, Lithuanian SSR
Lithuanian SSR
The Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Lithuanian SSR, was one of the republics that made up the former Soviet Union...
, Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. His parents are Elena and Feliksas Paksai. In 1974, he finished Zemaites High School and continued studies in Vilnius Gediminas Technical Institute. Paksas received a degree in civil engineering in 1979. In 1984, he graduated Leningrad
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
Civil Aviation Academy.
During this period, he competed in aerobatics competitions, participating in both Soviet and Lithuanian teams and winning several championships.
From 1992 to 1997, Rolandas Paksas was the President of the construction company "Restako".
Mayor of Vilnius and Prime Minister
Paksas, a former member of Communist Party of LithuaniaCommunist 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:...
(LKP) and its successor leftist Democratic Labour Party
Democratic Labour Party
The Democratic Labour Party is a name used by many political parties:* Democratic Labour Party * Democratic Labour Party * Democratic Labour Party of Lithuania* Democratic Labour Party...
(LDDP) in 1995 switched his political orientation in favour of conservative right Homeland Union (Lithuanian Conservatives). In 1997 Paksas was elected to Vilnius City Council and became the Mayor of the Vilnius city municipality
Vilnius city municipality
The Vilnius city municipality , is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania. It is in the southeastern part of country, in Vilnius County and consists of the city of Vilnius, the town of Grigiškės and some rural areas.- History :...
. Paksas also served as chairman of the Vilnius branch of the Homeland Union (Lithuanian Conservatives)
Homeland Union (Conservatives, Political Prisoners and Deportees, Christian Democrats)
The Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats , before 2008 Homeland Union or TS, is a centre-right political party in Lithuania...
.
In May 1999, Vagnorius stepped down and President Valdas Adamkus
Valdas Adamkus
Valdas Adamkus was President of Lithuania from 1998 to 2003 and again from 2004 to 2009.In Lithuania, the President's tenure lasts for five years; Adamkus' first term in office began on February 26, 1998 and ended on February 28, 2003, following his defeat by Rolandas Paksas in the next...
asked Paksas to become the Prime Minister. The Conservatives had 68 of the Seimas' 138 seats and were part of an 81-member coalition with the Lithuanian Christian Democrats
Lithuanian Christian Democrats
The Lithuanian Christian Democrats or LKD was a Christian-democratic political party in Lithuania. Originally established in 1905, it was closely associated with the Roman Catholic Church...
.
In June 1999, he became Prime Minister, heading the ninth Government after independence. Five months later, he resigned because of a disagreement over the sale of Mažeikių Nafta
Mažeikiu Nafta
ORLEN Lietuva is a company centered around the Mažeikiai oil refinery and oil-processing plant in Lithuania. It includes the only refinery in the Baltic States.- Refinery :...
, a major Lithuanian oil refining company, to a US oil company. He then served as Special Assignments envoy to Adamkus.
After leaving Homeland Union Paksas joined Liberal Union of Lithuania
Liberal Union of Lithuania
The Liberal Union of Lithuania was a political party in Lithuania. It had 33 of 141 members of the Seimas.In 2003 it merged with two smaller parties to form the Liberal and Centre Union.-See also:*Liberalism*Contributions to liberal theory...
and in April 2000, he became the Mayor of the Vilnius city municipality again. In 2000, he was elected as the Prime Minister in the eleventh Cabinet and served from November 2000 to June 2001. In March 2002, Paksas was elected as a chairman of his newly founded Liberal Democratic Party.
President of Lithuania
On 5 January 2003, he was elected President of Lithuania, after a surprise win over the incumbent Valdas AdamkusValdas Adamkus
Valdas Adamkus was President of Lithuania from 1998 to 2003 and again from 2004 to 2009.In Lithuania, the President's tenure lasts for five years; Adamkus' first term in office began on February 26, 1998 and ended on February 28, 2003, following his defeat by Rolandas Paksas in the next...
in a runoff. In the first round of elections, Paksas finished second with 19.7% of vote but, in the runoff, he gathered 54.9%. His platform included pledges to reduce proverty and income disparities, introduce the death penalty for drug traffickers, and move Lithuania towards a more market-based economy.
On 26 February 2003 his term as a President began. During his term, concerns arose that he had ties to the Russian mafia
Russian Mafia
The Russian Mafia is a name applied to organized crime syndicates in Russia and Ukraine. The mafia in various countries take the name of the country, as for example the Ukrainian mafia....
. Yuri Borisov, president of the aviation company Avia Baltika, had donated $400,000 to his campaign, and was given Lithuanian citizenship by Paksas' decree. This decree was later ruled to be unconstitutional by Constitutional Court of Lithuania. Paksas' connections were investigated by the Department of Security. In early 2004, the Seimas started impeachment
Impeachment
Impeachment is a formal process in which an official is accused of unlawful activity, the outcome of which, depending on the country, may include the removal of that official from office as well as other punishment....
proceedings against him. On 31 March 2004 the Constitutional Court of Lithuania found him guilty of violating the constitution and his oath of office. On April 6, 2004, the Parliament (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...
) voted on three charges: that he had leaked classified information about his investigation to Borisov; that he had improperly restored Borisov's citizenship; and that he had interfered in a privatization transaction. The vote passed, effectively removing Paksas from the presidency.
Post-impeachment legal proceedings
Paksas expressed an intent to run in the June presidential election that was to replace him. In response, on May 4 the Seimas passed a constitutional amendment barring impeached persons from standing for the presidency for five years following impeachment. Following an appeal by Paksas supporters, the Constitutional Court of Lithuania ruled the amendment unconstitutional, holding instead that persons who had violated the constitution or failed to uphold their oaths of office could never again hold public offices that required an oath.The District Court of Vilnius found Paksas not guilty of disclosing classified information (state secrets). This decision was reversed in 2005 by the Court of Appeals of the Republic of Lithuania, on the basis that the District Court had not linked all the supporting evidence. The Appeals Court, while finding Paksas guilty of a criminal act, did not impose a penalty, stating that Paksas's departure from public service meant that he no longer posed a threat.
In 2011, the European Court of Human Rights
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg is a supra-national court established by the European Convention on Human Rights and hears complaints that a contracting state has violated the human rights enshrined in the Convention and its protocols. Complaints can be brought by individuals or...
found the lifetime prohibition for Paksas to be elected to the parliament to be disproportionate and thus in violation of the European Convention on Human Rights
European Convention on Human Rights
The Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms is an international treaty to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms in Europe. Drafted in 1950 by the then newly formed Council of Europe, the convention entered into force on 3 September 1953...
.
Personal life
Rolandas Paksas is married Laima Paksiene and has two children Inga and Mindaugas. He is also a former member of both Soviet and Lithuanian national aerobatic teams, and a skilled stunt pilot who currently performs around the world.External links
- Liberal Democrats Party of Lithuania.
- Biographical facts from the NATO website.