Saulius Skvernelis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Saulius Skvernelis
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Official portrait, 2024
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| Speaker of the Seimas | |
| Assumed office 14 November 2024 |
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| Preceded by | Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen |
| Chairman of Union of Democrats "For Lithuania" | |
| Assumed office 29 January 2022 |
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| Preceded by | Office established |
| 16th Prime Minister of Lithuania | |
| In office 13 December 2016 – 11 December 2020 |
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| President | Dalia Grybauskaitė Gitanas Nausėda |
| Preceded by | Algirdas Butkevičius |
| Succeeded by | Ingrida Šimonytė |
| Member of the Seimas | |
| Assumed office 13 November 2020 |
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| Constituency | Multi-member |
| In office 14 November 2016 – 12 November 2020 |
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| Preceded by | Linas Balsys |
| Succeeded by | Radvilė Morkūnaitė-Mikulėnienė |
| Constituency | Karoliniškės |
| Minister of the Interior | |
| In office 11 November 2014 – 13 April 2016 |
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| Prime Minister | Algirdas Butkevičius |
| Preceded by | Dailis Alfonsas Barakauskas |
| Succeeded by | Tomas Žilinskas |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 23 July 1970 Kaunas, Lithuania |
| Political party | DSVL (2022–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
Order and Justice (2014–2016) LVŽS (2016–2022) |
| Spouse | Silvija Skvernelė |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Vilnius Gediminas Technical University |
Saulius Skvernelis, born on July 23, 1970, is a Lithuanian politician. He served as the Prime Minister of Lithuania from 2016 to 2020. Before that, he was the Minister of the Interior from 2014 to 2016.
Even though he was an independent politician, he had the support of the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union. He was part of their group in parliament until 2022. In 2022, he started his own political party called the Union of Democrats "For Lithuania". He is currently a member of the Seimas (Lithuania's parliament) and the leader of his party. Since November 14, 2024, he has been the Speaker of the Seimas.
Early Life and Career
Education and Police Work
Saulius Skvernelis was born in Kaunas, Lithuania. He studied at the Vilnius Technical University and graduated in 1994. After finishing university, he began working at the Lithuania Police Academy.
In 1998, Skvernelis started his career in law enforcement as a traffic police inspector. He worked in the Trakai District Municipality. Over time, he moved up in his career. On March 7, 2011, he became the General Commissioner of Police for Lithuania. In this important role, he was in charge of the country's police force.
Political Journey
Becoming Minister of the Interior
In late 2014, the Minister of the Interior, Dailis Alfonsas Barakauskas, resigned. The Order and Justice party suggested Saulius Skvernelis as his replacement. Even though Skvernelis was not a member of their party, he accepted the offer. On November 5, 2014, President Dalia Grybauskaitė officially appointed him as Minister of the Interior. The Seimas confirmed his appointment on November 11.
From the very beginning, Skvernelis was very popular as Minister. In November 2015, he almost resigned after an incident in Vilnius. A person who had been arrested escaped from a police car with a stolen weapon. This person roamed the city for several hours before being caught again. Many members of the Seimas supported Skvernelis and wanted him to stay. The Prime Minister, Algirdas Butkevičius, did not accept his resignation.
During the 2015 European migrant crisis, Skvernelis spoke out against negative talk about migrants. However, he also had doubts about the European Union's plan for migrant quotas. He sometimes had disagreements with other important politicians during his time as Minister.
Leading the Government
2016 Parliamentary Election
By 2016, Saulius Skvernelis was one of the most well-known politicians in Lithuania. Several political parties asked him to join them or run with them in the 2016 Lithuanian parliamentary election. He chose to join the electoral list of the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union. This party had only one seat in the parliament at the time. Because he joined an opposition party, he had to resign as Minister of the Interior in April 2016.
Even though he wasn't a party member, Skvernelis led the Farmers and Greens' election campaign. The party won a surprisingly large victory in the 2016 election. They received many votes and won 54 out of 141 seats in the Seimas. Skvernelis himself was elected to the Seimas in the Karoliniškės area of Vilnius.
Becoming Prime Minister
Since the Farmers and Greens had never held so many seats, they needed to form a coalition (a partnership) with another party. They decided to form a coalition with the Social Democrats. As part of this agreement, Saulius Skvernelis became the Prime Minister of Lithuania. President Dalia Grybauskaitė appointed him on November 22, 2016. He officially started his role as Prime Minister on December 13, 2016, after the Seimas approved his government's plan.
Key Policies as Prime Minister
During his time as Prime Minister, Skvernelis's government introduced several important changes. These included:
- Creating child benefits to help families.
- Increasing wages and pensions for people.
- Cutting income taxes.
His government also introduced a reform for teacher pay. This led to the largest teacher strike in Lithuania's history. On February 14, 2018, Skvernelis spoke at an LGBT rally in Vilnius. He called for the Seimas to recognize same-sex partnerships.
Changes in Government Support
The coalition government faced some challenges. In 2017, the Social Democrats' new leader questioned their partnership with the Farmers and Greens. The party leadership voted to end the coalition agreement. However, most of the Social Democrat members in parliament decided to stay in the government. They formed a new party called the Lithuanian Social Democratic Labour Party. This meant the government became a minority government, with fewer than half the seats in parliament.
In 2019, the government regained its majority. After the 2019 Lithuanian presidential election, Skvernelis negotiated with smaller parties. The Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania and another group of former party members joined the coalition. However, this majority lasted only four months. In January 2020, the "For the Welfare of Lithuania" group in parliament broke up.
2019 Presidential Campaign
On January 17, 2019, Skvernelis announced he would run for president. In the first round of the 2019 Lithuanian presidential election, he finished third. After this result, he said he would resign as prime minister, but he later changed his mind.
Member of Parliament (2020–2024)
In March 2021, the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union and the Labour Party formed an agreement. This allowed Skvernelis to be appointed to the Seimas's Board as the opposition leader. He held this position until mid-September 2021.
In late 2021, Skvernelis left the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union group in the Seimas. He then formed a new political group called Democrats "For Lithuania". On January 29, 2022, he officially formed his own party, the Union of Democrats "For Lithuania" (DSVL), and became its first chairman.
Speaker of the Seimas (2024–Present)
Before the 2024 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Skvernelis, as the leader of the Union of Democrats "For Lithuania," said he did not want to form a coalition with his old party, the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union. He criticized their leader.
In the election, Skvernelis led his party to finish fourth, winning 14 out of 141 seats in the Fourteenth Seimas. Skvernelis himself ran in a single-seat area but lost in the second round. However, he still secured a seat in parliament because of his position on his party's list.
After the election, the winning Lithuanian Social Democratic Party invited Skvernelis's party and the Farmers and Greens to talk about forming a coalition. There were disagreements between the two parties Skvernelis had been part of. In the end, the Social Democrats and Skvernelis's party signed a coalition agreement with another party called Dawn of Nemunas.
Saulius Skvernelis was elected the Speaker of the Seimas on November 14, 2024. He received 107 votes in favor.
Honours
Foreign Honours
Poland: Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland (July 15, 2019)
See also
In Spanish: Saulius Skvernelis para niños
