Prime Minister of Lithuania facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Prime Minister of Lithuania
Coat of arms of Lithuania
Incumbent Gintautas Paluckas since 12 December 2024
Government of Lithuania
Style	Mister/Madam Prime Minister (informal) His/Her Excellency (diplomatic)
Appointer	President
Term length	4 years No term limit
Formation	11 November 1918; 106 years ago (1918-11-11)
First holder	Augustinas Voldemaras
Abolished	1940–1991
Salary	€6,000 per month

The Prime Minister of Lithuania is the main leader of the Government of Lithuania. Think of them as the head of the team that runs the country day-to-day. The President of Lithuania chooses the Prime Minister. Then, the Lithuanian parliament, called the Seimas, has to agree with the President's choice.

The job of Prime Minister, as we know it today, started in 1990. This was when Lithuania became an independent country again. Before 1992, the official title was "Chairperson of the Council of Ministers." The title "Prime Minister" was also used a long time ago, between 1918 and 1940. This was during Lithuania's first period as an independent republic.

Leaders of Lithuania's Government

Prime Ministers (1918–1940)

This list shows the people who served as Prime Minister during Lithuania's first period of independence. This was from the end of the Russian Empire until 1940.

No.	Picture	Name (born–died)	Time in Office			Political Party		Government
			Started	Ended	Length of Time
1		Augustinas Voldemaras (1883–1942) 1st time	11 November 1918	26 December 1918	45 days		Party of National Progress	Voldemaras I
2		Mykolas Sleževičius (1882–1939) 1st time	26 December 1918	5 March 1919	69 days		Peasant Union	Sleževičius I
3		Pranas Dovydaitis (1886–1942)	13 March 1919	12 April 1919	38 days		Lithuanian Christian Democratic Party	Dovydaitis
(2)		Mykolas Sleževičius (1882–1939) 2nd time	12 April 1919	2 October 1919	173 days		Peasant Union	Sleževičius II
4		Ernestas Galvanauskas (1882–1967) 1st time	7 October 1919	15 June 1920	252 days		Independent	Galvanauskas I
5		Kazys Grinius (1866–1950)	19 June 1920	18 January 1922	1 year, 213 days		Lithuanian Popular Peasants' Union	Grinius
(4)		Ernestas Galvanauskas (1882–1967) 2nd time	2 February 1922	17 June 1924	2 years, 136 days		Independent	Galvanauskas II–III–IV
6		Antanas Tumėnas (1880–1946)	18 June 1924	27 January 1925	223 days		Lithuanian Christian Democratic Party	Tumėnas
7		Vytautas Petrulis (1890–1942)	4 February 1925	19 September 1925	227 days		Farmers' Association	Petrulis
8		Leonas Bistras (1890–1971)	25 September 1925	31 May 1926	248 days		Lithuanian Christian Democratic Party	Bistras
(2)		Mykolas Sleževičius (1882–1939) 3rd time	15 June 1926	17 December 1926	185 days		Lithuanian Popular Peasants' Union	Sleževičius III
(1)		Augustinas Voldemaras (1883–1942) 2nd time	17 December 1926	19 September 1929	2 years, 276 days		Lithuanian Nationalist Union	Voldemaras II
9		Juozas Tūbelis (1882–1939)	23 September 1929	24 March 1938	8 years, 182 days		Lithuanian Nationalist Union	Tūbelis I–II–III
10		Vladas Mironas (1880–1953)	24 March 1938	28 March 1939	1 year, 4 days		Lithuanian Nationalist Union	Mironas I–II
11		Jonas Černius (1898–1977)	28 March 1939	21 November 1939	238 days		Lithuanian Nationalist Union	Černius
12		Antanas Merkys (1887–1955)	21 November 1939	15 June 1940	207 days		Lithuanian Nationalist Union	Merkys

In June 1940, another country's forces entered Lithuania. This led to President Antanas Smetona leaving the country. Antanas Merkys became acting president. He then appointed Justas Paleckis as Prime Minister. Paleckis was favored by the new authorities. Merkys soon resigned, and Paleckis also became acting president. Modern Lithuania does not officially recognize Merkys's presidency or Paleckis as a legitimate Prime Minister from this time.

No.	Picture	Name (born–died)	Time in Office			Political Party		Government
			Started	Ended	Length of Time
–		Justas Paleckis (1899–1980)	17 June 1940	24 June 1940	7 days		Communist Party of Lithuania
–		Vincas Krėvė-Mickevičius (1882–1954)	24 June 1940	1 July 1940	7 days		Communist Party of Lithuania	People's Government

Leaders during the Soviet Era (1940–1990)

During this period, Lithuania was part of the Soviet Union. The leaders were called Chairmen of the Council of People's Commissars or Chairmen of the Council of Ministers.

No.	Picture	Name (born–died)	Time in Office			Political Party
			Started	Ended	Length of Time
Chairmen of the Council of People's Commissars of the Lithuanian SSR
1		Mečislovas Gedvilas (1901–1981) (in exile in the Russian SFSR 1941–1944)	25 August 1940	2 April 1946	5 years, 220 days		Communist Party of Lithuania
Chairmen of the Council of Ministers of the Lithuanian SSR
1		Mečislovas Gedvilas (1901–1981)	2 April 1946	16 January 1956	9 years, 289 days		Communist Party of Lithuania
2		Motiejus Šumauskas (1905–1982)	16 January 1956	14 April 1967	11 years, 88 days		Communist Party of Lithuania
3		Juozas Maniušis (1910–1987)	14 April 1967	16 January 1981	13 years, 277 days		Communist Party of Lithuania
4		Ringaudas Songaila (1929–2019)	16 January 1981	18 November 1985	4 years, 306 days		Communist Party of Lithuania
5		Vytautas Sakalauskas (1933–2001)	18 November 1985	17 March 1990	4 years, 119 days		Communist Party of Lithuania

Provisional Government (1941)

This was a temporary government formed in 1941.

No.	Picture	Name (born–died)	Time in Office			Government
			Started	Ended	Length of Time
–		Juozas Ambrazevičius (1903–1974) acting	23 June 1941	5 August 1941	43 days	Provisional Government

Prime Ministers of Independent Lithuania (1990–Present)

Lithuania became independent again on March 11, 1990. Since then, these people have served as Prime Minister.

Political parties and groups:       Sąjūdis       LDDP       TS / TS-LKD       LLS       LSDP       LVŽS

No.	Picture	Name (born–died)	Time in Office			Political Party		Government coalition	Seimas
			Started	Ended	Length of Time
1		Kazimira Danutė Prunskienė (born 1943)	17 March 1990	10 January 1991	299 days		Independent (supported by Sąjūdis)	Prunskienė Sąjūdis	Supreme Council – Reconstituent Seimas (1990)
2		Albertas Šimėnas (born 1950)	10 January 1991	13 January 1991	3 days		Independent (supported by Sąjūdis)	Šimėnas Sąjūdis
3		Gediminas Vagnorius (born 1957)	13 January 1991	21 July 1992	1 year, 190 days		Independent (supported by Sąjūdis)	Vagnorius I Sąjūdis
4		Aleksandras Abišala (born 1955)	21 July 1992	26 November 1992	128 days		Independent (supported by Sąjūdis)	Abišala Sąjūdis
5		Bronislovas Lubys (1938–2011)	12 December 1992	10 March 1993	88 days		Independent (supported by Democratic Labour Party)	Lubys LDDP	6 (1992)
6		Adolfas Šleževičius (1948–2022)	10 March 1993	8 February 1996	2 years, 335 days		Democratic Labour Party (LDDP)	Šleževičius LDDP
7		Laurynas Mindaugas Stankevičius (1935–2017)	23 February 1996	19 November 1996	270 days		Democratic Labour Party (LDDP)	Stankevičius LDDP
(3)		Gediminas Vagnorius (born 1957)	4 December 1996	3 May 1999	2 years, 150 days		Homeland Union (TS-LKD)	Vagnorius II TS–LKDP	7 (1996)
8		Rolandas Paksas (born 1956)	1 June 1999	27 October 1999	148 days		Homeland Union (TS-LKD)	Paksas I TS–LKDP
–		Irena Degutienė (born 1949) acting	27 October 1999	3 November 1999	7 days		Homeland Union (TS-LKD)	Paksas I TS–LKDP
9		Andrius Kubilius (born 1956)	3 November 1999	19 October 2000	351 days		Homeland Union (TS-LKD)	Kubilius I TS–LKDP
(8)		Rolandas Paksas (born 1956)	27 October 2000	20 June 2001	236 days		Liberal Union of Lithuania (LLS)	Paksas II LLS-NS-LCS-MKDS-LLRA	8 (2000)
–		Eugenijus Gentvilas (born 1960) acting	20 June 2001	4 July 2001	14 days		Liberal Union of Lithuania (LLS)	Paksas II LLS-NS-LCS-MKDS-LLRA
10		Algirdas Brazauskas (1932–2010)	4 July 2001	1 June 2006	4 years, 332 days		Social Democrats (LSDP)	Brazauskas I LSDP-NS
								Brazauskas II LSDP–DP-LVNDS-NS (2004–2006) LSDP–DP-LVNDS (2006) LSDP (2006)	9 (2004)
–		Zigmantas Balčytis (born 1953) acting	1 June 2006	18 July 2006	47 days		Social Democrats (LSDP)	Brazauskas II LSDP
11		Gediminas Kirkilas (1951–2024)	6 July 2006	17 November 2008	2 years, 134 days		Social Democrats (LSDP)	Kirkilas LSDP-LVNDS-PDP-LiCS (2006–2007) LSDP (2006–2008) LSDP-LVNDS-LiCS-PDP-NS (2008)
(9)		Andrius Kubilius (born 1956)	9 December 2008	13 December 2012	4 years, 4 days		Homeland Union (TS-LKD)	Kubilius II TS-LKD-TPP-LRLS-LiCS (2008–2009 and 2010–2011) TS-LKD-TPP-LRLS-LiCS-Parliamentary Group "One Lithuania" (2009–2010) TS-LKD-LRLS-LiCS (2011–2012)	10 (2008)
12		Algirdas Butkevičius (born 1958)	13 December 2012	13 December 2016	4 years, 0 days		Social Democrats (LSDP)	Butkevičius LSDP-DP-TT-LLRA (2012–2014) LSDP-DP-TT (2014–2016)	11 (2012)
13		Saulius Skvernelis (born 1970)	13 December 2016	11 December 2020	3 years, 364 days		Independent (supported by Farmers and Greens Union)	Skvernelis LVŽS-LSDP (2016–2017) LVŽS (2017–2018) LVŽS-LSDDP (2018–2019) LVŽS-LSDDP-LLRA-KŠS-TT (2019) LVŽS-LSDDP-LLRA-KŠS (2019–2020)	12 (2016)
14		Ingrida Šimonytė (born 1974)	11 December 2020	12 December 2024	4 years, 1 day		Homeland Union (TS-LKD)	Šimonytė TS-LKD-LRLS-LP	13 (2020)
15		Gintautas Paluckas (born 1979)	12 December 2024	Incumbent	236 days		Social Democratic Party of Lithuania (LSDP)	Paluckas LSDP-PPNA-DSVL	14 (2024)

More Information

• Lists of office-holders
• Grand Chancellor of Lithuania

Timeline of Prime Ministers

This timeline shows when each Prime Minister served and their political party.