- Born:
- June 10, 1956, Telsiai, Lith. (age 70)
Rolandas Paksas
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Who is Rolandas Paksas?
Rolandas Paksas (born in Telsiai, Lithuania, on June 10, 1956) served as Lithuania's prime minister in 1999 and again from 2000 to 2001, and as president from 2003 to 2004.
Paksas began his political career as a communist but later became a prominent figure in conservative circles. He eventually became a leader within Lithuania's Liberal and Liberal Democratic parties. In March 2002, he founded the centre-right Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), and he won the presidential election under the party's banner in 2003.
However, Paksas's presidency was short-lived and controversial. Allegations surfaced that he had ties to organized crime, leading to calls for his impeachment. In 2004, parliament removed him from office, making him the first leader in Europe to be removed by impeachment. Despite no longer being able to hold public office, Paksas continued to lead the LDP and wield political influence.
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Which country did Rolandas Paksas serve as president?
Rolandas Paksas served as president of Lithuania from 2003 to 2004. He was the first leader in Europe to be removed from office through impeachment. Paksas's time in office was controversial, with allegations of ties to organized crime. In 2004, parliament removed him from office after the country’s highest court ruled that he had violated the constitution.
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When was Rolandas Paksas elected president of Lithuania?
Rolandas Paksas won Lithuania's presidential election on January 5, 2003, under the banner of the centre-right Liberal Democratic Party, with 54.7 percent of the vote. He was later sworn in as president on February 26, 2003, promising radical changes and a rise in living standards. However, his presidency was short-lived, as he was removed from office by Parliament in April 2004 following allegations of ties to organized crime and violating the constitution.
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Why is Rolandas Paksas's presidency significant in Lithuania's history?
Rolandas Paksas's presidency is significant in Lithuania's history because he was the first European leader to be removed from office through impeachment. Elected in 2003, his tenure was short-lived and controversial. Allegations surfaced regarding his ties to organized crime and constitutional violations, leading to his impeachment in April 2004. Despite his removal, Paksas continued to wield political influence. His presidency occurred during a pivotal time, as Lithuania gained full membership in both the EU and NATO in 2004.
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What events led to Rolandas Paksas's impeachment as president?
Rolandas Paksas, as president of Lithuania, faced impeachment due to several events. Allegations surfaced regarding his ties to organized crime, leading to increased scrutiny. The Constitutional Court later determined that Paksas had violated the constitution on multiple occasions, most notably by granting citizenship to a Russian-born financial supporter. These violations and connections prompted parliament to remove Paksas from office in April 2004, making him the first European leader to be removed by impeachment.
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What happened to Rolandas Paksas after his time as president of Lithuania?
After being impeached and removed from the presidency in April 2004, Rolandas Paksas went back to leading the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which became part of the For Order and Justice coalition. Although he was barred from holding public office, Paksas continued to exert political influence from behind the scenes. He had founded the centre-right LDP in March 2002 and won the presidential election under its banner in January 2003. Paksas's time in office was marked by his determination and enthusiasm, as well as improved relations with Russia. However, his presidency was marred by allegations of ties to organized crime, leading to his impeachment after the country's highest court ruled that he had violated the constitution.
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Rolandas Paksas (born June 10, 1956, Telsiai, Lith.) is a prime minister (1999, 2000–01) and president (2003–04) of Lithuania. Although he began his political career as a communist, Paksas became prominent in conservative circles and later emerged as a leader of Lithuania’s Liberal and Liberal Democratic parties. He was Europe’s first leader to be removed by impeachment.
Paksas’s father was a railway clerk and later worked in the wholesale grain trade. His mother’s family was deported to Siberia but escaped Soviet concentration camps, and she worked as a nurse. Paksas graduated from Vilnius Civil Engineering Institute (now Vilnius Gediminas Technical University) as a civil engineer in 1979 and from the Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) Academy of Civil Aviation as an engineer-pilot in 1984. He worked as a pilot instructor from 1979 to 1985 and headed a flying club in Vilnius from 1985 to 1992. During that period, Paksas was a member of both the Lithuanian and Soviet national aerobatics teams, winning several championships. In 1992 he founded the Restako construction company.
Paksas joined the conservative Homeland Union and won a seat in the Vilnius city council in 1997. He was elected mayor of the capital two years later. After the resignation of Prime Minister Gediminas Vagnorius in 1999, Paksas succeeded him in office. Paksas resigned a scant five and a half months later, however, after an emotional address in which he declined to support a proposal to invite American investment in Mažeikių Nafta, Lithuania’s giant oil company. Suddenly persona non grata to the conservatives, Paksas joined a small liberal party. He worked as an adviser to Pres. Valdas Adamkus, was reelected mayor of Vilnius, and won a seat in the Seimas (parliament). From October 2000 to June 2001 he served a second time as prime minister, but he resigned after the split of the coalition of Liberals and Social-Liberals, remaining a member of the Parliamentary Economic Committee.
Paksas founded the centre-right Liberal Democratic Party (Liberalų Demokratų Partija; LDP) in March 2002. Under its banner, he won the presidency of Lithuania in the second round of elections on Jan. 5, 2003, with 54.7 percent of the vote. His success came as a surprise to many. All the major parties had backed the incumbent, Adamkus, who symbolized the unity and the stability of the country and campaigned on his success in gaining Lithuania’s integration into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union. When Paksas was sworn in as president on Feb. 26, 2003, he promised radical changes and a rise in living standards, particularly for less-fortunate people.
Paksas’s short time in office was characterized by flexibility. He was determined and enthusiastic on the stump, and he seemed to enjoy better relations with Russia, Lithuania’s giant neighbour, than had his predecessors. On the other hand, his presidency was marred by allegations that he had ties to organized crime. At the end of 2003, there were calls for his impeachment after Lithuania’s highest court ruled that he had violated the country’s constitution.
Parliament removed Paksas from office in April 2004. He went back to lead the LDP, which was part of a new coalition, For Order and Justice. Although Paksas could no longer hold public office, he continued to wield political influence behind the scenes.