Rolandas Paksas

This article's factual accuracy may be compromised due to out-of-date information. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (December 2023)

Rolandas Paksas
Paksas in 2009
6th President of Lithuania
In office 26 February 2003 – 6 April 2004
Prime Minister	Algirdas Brazauskas
Preceded by	Valdas Adamkus
Succeeded by	Artūras Paulauskas (Acting)
Member of European Parliament
In office 4 June 2009 – 1 July 2019
9th and 11th Prime Minister of Lithuania
In office 26 October 2000 – 20 June 2001
President	Valdas Adamkus
Preceded by	Andrius Kubilius
Succeeded by	Eugenijus Gentvilas (Acting)
In office 18 May 1999 – 27 October 1999
President	Valdas Adamkus
Preceded by	Irena Degutienė (Acting)
Succeeded by	Irena Degutienė (Acting)
Leader of the Opposition
In office 12 July 2001 – 1 November 2001
Succeeded by	Gintaras Steponavičius (interim)
Member of the Seimas
In office 19 October 2000 – 15 February 2003
Preceded by	Aloyzas Sakalas
Succeeded by	Andrius Kubilius
Constituency	Antakalnis
Personal details
Born	(1956-06-10) 10 June 1956 (age 67) Telšiai, Lithuanian SSR, Soviet Union (now Lithuania)
Political party	Communist Party of Lithuania (1983~1989) Democratic Labour Party (1989–1995) Homeland Union (1995–1999) Liberal Union (1999–2002) Order and Justice (2002~2003, 2004–2018) Independent (2003~2004, 2018–present)
Spouse	Laima Paksienė
Alma mater	Vilnius Gediminas Technical University Leningrad Civil Aviation Academy
Profession	Pilot, Politician, Businessman, Engineer.
Military service
Allegiance	Lithuania
Branch/service	National Defence Volunteer Forces
Rank	Major[1]

Rolandas Paksas ([rɔˈɫɐ̂ˑndɐs ˈpaːksɐs] ^ⓘ; born 10 June 1956) is a Lithuanian politician who served as the sixth president of Lithuania from 2003 until his impeachment in April 2004. He previously served two terms as the prime minister of Lithuania in 1999, and again from 2000 to 2001, and as Mayor of Vilnius from 1997 to 1999 and again from 2000 to 2001. He led Order and Justice from 2004 to 2016 and was a Member of the European Parliament from 2009 to 2019.

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 the 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 prime minister 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 was the first European head of state to have been impeached.^[2] Barred from the Seimas, Paksas was elected to the European Parliament in 2009, while leading his party, now called Order and Justice (TT). His lifetime ban from the Seimas was ruled to be disproportionate measure by the European Court of Human Rights in 2011. In 2018 the amendment which would allow Paksas to run for the Seimas was submitted.^[3] But he will not be allowed to run for president or become the speaker of the Seimas. He is considered to be the worst President of Lithuania in modern history.^[4]