Gintautas Paluckas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gintautas Paluckas
Paluckas in 2023
18th Prime Minister of Lithuania
Incumbent
Assumed office 12 December 2024
President	Gitanas Nausėda
Preceded by	Ingrida Šimonytė
Member of the Seimas
Incumbent
Assumed office 13 November 2020
Constituency	Multi-member
Leader of the Social Democratic Party
In office 6 May 2017 – 22 January 2021
Preceded by	Algirdas Butkevičius
Succeeded by	Vilija Blinkevičiūtė
Deputy Mayor of Vilnius
In office 22 April 2015 – 24 April 2019
Mayor	Remigijus Šimašius
Preceded by	Jonas Pinskus
Succeeded by	Vytautas Mitalas
Personal details
Born	(1979-08-19) 19 August 1979 (age 45) Panevėžys, Lithuanian SSR, Soviet Union
Political party	Social Democratic (2003–present)
Spouse	Ilma Paluckė
Children	2
Education	Juozas Balčikonis Gymnasium
Alma mater	Vilnius University

Gintautas Paluckas (born 19 August 1979) is a Lithuanian politician. He is currently the 18th Prime Minister of Lithuania. This means he leads the government of Lithuania. He started this important job in December 2024.

Before becoming Prime Minister, Paluckas was the Deputy Mayor of Vilnius, the capital city, from 2015 to 2019. He also led the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania from 2017 to 2021. Since 2020, he has been a member of the Seimas, which is the Lithuanian parliament.

In the 2024 Lithuanian parliamentary election, his party, the Social Democratic Party, won the most votes. Even though he didn't win his local election area, he still got a seat in the Seimas because of his party's overall success. After the election, he was chosen to be the Prime Minister.

Education and Early Life

Gintautas Paluckas was born in Panevėžys, Lithuania, on 19 August 1979. His father was an engineer, and his mother was an economist. He finished high school at Juozas Balčikonis Gymnasium in 1997.

He later studied English in London for a year. In 2003, he earned a degree in mathematics and computer science from Vilnius University. He also studied at the International Business School and later at the Faculty of Law at Vilnius University.

Political Journey

Gintautas Paluckas joined the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania in 2003. This was an important step in his political journey.

From 2003 to 2005, he worked as a specialist at the Lithuanian State Social Insurance Fund. He then became an assistant to Justas Vincas Paleckis, who was a member of the European Parliament. From 2007 to 2009, he worked as the Director of Administration for the city of Vilnius.

From 2013, Paluckas took on more important roles within the Social Democratic Party. He became the Executive Secretary and a member of the party's council and board.

From 2015 to 2019, he served as the Deputy Mayor of Vilnius. During this time, he suggested creating Arabic-language kindergarten groups to help welcome new families arriving in the city.

Leading the Social Democratic Party

In 2017, Gintautas Paluckas was elected as the leader of the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania. He won against another politician, Mindaugas Sinkevičius. During his campaign, Paluckas talked about making the party stronger and focusing on its core values. He wanted the party to support things like fair taxes, workers' rights, women's rights, and LGBT rights. He also supported NATO and the European Union.

After Paluckas became leader, the party decided to leave the government coalition they were part of. Some members of the parliament who belonged to the party decided to form a new group and stay in the government.

Paluckas was re-elected as the party leader in 2019.

Elections and Stepping Down

In 2020, Paluckas was elected to the Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas. He was the leader of his party during the 2020 Lithuanian parliamentary election. Even though his party's number of seats went down a bit, he still secured a place in the parliament.

On 22 January 2021, Paluckas decided to step down from his role as the leader of the Social Democratic Party. This happened after the party council felt that the results of the 2020 election were not as good as they had hoped.

Becoming Prime Minister

In the 2024 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Paluckas was the Deputy Leader of the Social Democratic Party. Even though he didn't win his local election area, he still got a seat in the Seimas. This was because of his high position on the party's list of candidates, which helps people get into parliament based on the party's overall votes.

On 30 October 2024, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, who was the leader of the Social Democratic Party, announced that she would not be the candidate for Prime Minister. Instead, the party decided to suggest Gintautas Paluckas for the job.

Blinkevičiūtė explained that she decided not to take the role due to personal reasons, including her age and health. She said she would continue her work as a Member of the European Parliament.

The Social Democratic Party chose Paluckas because of his wide experience in local government and national politics. They also noted that many Lithuanians had voted for him, showing strong public support. Paluckas then started talking with other political groups to form a new government.

Other politicians shared their thoughts on Paluckas. Some praised his professionalism and his ability to talk with different groups. They also highlighted his hard work in the Seimas. Others mentioned that he had more experience in city government than in leading the national government.

On 21 November, the Seimas officially approved Gintautas Paluckas as the Prime Minister.

Personal Life and Hobbies

Gintautas Paluckas is married to Ilma Paluckė, and they have two children.

He enjoys fishing, playing basketball, and raising chickens and ducks. He is also a member of the Lithuanian Riflemen's Union.

Besides his native Lithuanian, Paluckas speaks fluent English, good Russian, and some Spanish and Portuguese. He has also written articles and political reviews for newspapers.

See also

In Spanish: Gintautas Paluckas para niños