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Saulius Skvernelis

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Saulius Skvernelis
Official portrait, 2024
Speaker of the Seimas
Incumbent
Assumed office
14 November 2024
Preceded byViktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen
Chairman of Union of Democrats "For Lithuania"
Incumbent
Assumed office
29 January 2022
Preceded byOffice established
16th Prime Minister of Lithuania
In office
13 December 2016 – 11 December 2020
PresidentDalia Grybauskaitė
Gitanas Nausėda
Preceded byAlgirdas Butkevičius
Succeeded byIngrida Šimonytė
Member of the Seimas
Incumbent
Assumed office
13 November 2020
ConstituencyMulti-member
In office
14 November 2016 – 12 November 2020
Preceded byLinas Balsys
Succeeded byRadvilė Morkūnaitė-Mikulėnienė
ConstituencyKaroliniškės
Minister of the Interior
In office
11 November 2014 – 13 April 2016
Prime MinisterAlgirdas Butkevičius
Preceded byDailis Alfonsas Barakauskas
Succeeded byTomas Žilinskas
Personal details
Born (1970-07-23) 23 July 1970 (age 54)[1]
Kaunas, Lithuania
Political partyDSVL (2022–present)
Other political
affiliations		Order and Justice (2014–2016)
LVŽS (2016–2022)
SpouseSilvija Skvernelė
Children2
EducationVilnius Gediminas Technical University

Saulius Skvernelis (/ˈsaʊliəs skwɛərˈnɛlɪs/; Lithuanian: [ˈsˠɐʊlʲʊs skvʲɛrˈnʲɛlʲɪs]; born 23 July 1970) is a Lithuanian politician who served as prime minister of Lithuania between 2016 and 2020. He had previously served as police commissioner, and was Minister of the Interior from 2014 to 2016. Though he was an independent politician, he was backed by the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union and was a member of its parliamentary group until 2022, as a result of which he became the first head of government in European history primarily backed by a green party (a green conservative party).

In 2022, he formed his own political party, the Union of Democrats "For Lithuania", and he is currently a member of the Seimas, as well as his party's chairman.

He is the Speaker of the Seimas since 14 November 2024.

Education and work

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Born in Kaunas, Skvernelis graduated from the Vilnius Technical University in 1994 and started working at the Lithuania Police Academy.

In 1998, Skvernelis started his career in the Lithuanian law enforcement system, working as a traffic police inspector in Trakai District Municipality. Gradually rising through the ranks, he was appointed General Commissioner of Police of Lithuania on 7 March 2011.[2]

In this position, he played a role in the Case of Drąsius Kedys. As General Commissioner, he approved the transfer of Kedys' daughter to her biological mother in 17 May 2012, in a police raid in which 240 police officers were involved and force was reportedly used against protestors attempting to stop the transfer.[3] Skvernelis was reportedly threatened with dismissal by members of the incumbent government, but went ahead with the operation regardless.[4]

Political career

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Minister of the Interior

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Dailis Alfonsas Barakauskas [lt], delegated by the Order and Justice party as Minister of the Interior, became complicit in a corruption scandal in late 2014 and chose to resign.[5] Order and Justice tapped Skvernelis as his replacement, despite him not being a member of the party, and he accepted. On 5 November 2014, President Dalia Grybauskaitė appointed Skvernelis as Minister of the Interior, with the Seimas confirming the appointment on 11 November.[2]

From the beginning of his term as Minister, Skvernelis enjoyed high approval ratings.[6] However, he nearly resigned in 20 November 2015 after an incident in Vilnius, in which Igor Molotkov, a Russian-speaking inhabitant of Vilnius arrested by Lithuanian police, escaped out of a police vehicle with a stolen AK-47 and roamed the city for several hours until he was detained again.[7] An action among members of the Seimas in support of him remaining in the post, initiated by Petras Gražulis, gathered the signatures of a majority of the parliament.[8] Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius refused his resignation on 30 November.[9]

During the 2015 European migrant crisis, Skvernelis criticised anti-migrant rhetoric,[10] but also expressed scepticism towards the European Union's policy of migrant quotas.[11] He conflicted with Speaker of the Seimas Loreta Graužinienė and President Grybauskaitė during his term.

2016 parliamentary election and Skvernelis Cabinet

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By 2016, Skvernelis had become one of the most popular politicians in Lithuania.[12] As a result, he was approached by several political parties, including the Liberal Movement, the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania and Order and Justice, to join their party or participate in their electoral list in the 2016 parliamentary election.[13] However, he refused their offers and announced he would participate in the electoral list of the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union, a party with only one seat in the outgoing parliament, in March 2016.[14][15][16][17] As the Farmers and Greens were a part of the opposition, he was forced to resign as Minister of the Interior and was replaced by Tomas Žilinskas [lt].[18]

Although not a member of the party, Skvernelis headed the electoral list of the Farmers and Greens, leading them to a surprisingly large victory in the 2016 election. The party won 22.45% of votes in the nationwide constituency (finishing close second to the Homeland Union), but finished with 54 of the 141 seats in the Seimas, thanks to strong performances in single-member constituencies. Skvernelis was elected to the Seimas in the single-member constituency of Karoliniškės in Vilnius.[19]

As the Farmers and Greens had never held the plurality of seats, a coalition with either the Homeland Union or the Social Democrats was considered. After a grand coalition was dismissed by party leaders, the right wing of the Homeland Union, represented by Žygimantas Pavilionis, Audronius Ažubalis, Paulius Saudargas, Agnė Bilotaitė and others, pressured Gabrielius Landsbergis to form a coalition with the party.[20] However, the Farmers and Greens chose to form a coalition with the Social Democrats instead. In the subsequent coalition negotiations, it was agreed that Skvernelis would become the prime minister of Lithuania.[21] He was appointed as prime minister by President Dalia Grybauskaitė on 22 November 2016, having been confirmed by the Seimas,[22] and assumed the office on 13 December 2016, when the Seimas approved the program of the Skvernelis Cabinet.

Domestic policy

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His premiership included creation of Child benefit,[23][24][25] wage and pensions increase and income tax cuts.[26] The Skvernelis Cabinet teacher pay reform led to the biggest teacher strike in Lithuania's history.[27][28][29] His Government had also introduced measures that reduced freedom of the press. Skvernelis is considered a pragmatic politician (opportunist by his critics) who doesn't have a clear political ideology.[30][31]

On 14 February 2018, appearing at an LGBT rally in Vilnius, Skvernelis called on the Seimas to recognise same-sex partnerships.[32]

Coalition instability

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As Algirdas Butkevičius chose to resign as chairman of the Social Democrats due to poor election results, a leadership election was held on April 22, 2017, and was won by Gintautas Paluckas, who questioned the benefit of the coalition agreement with the Farmers and Greens.[33] Against the wishes of its parliamentary group, the party leadership voted to terminate the coalition agreement,[34] but only five of the party's 17 members followed the party's decision. The remaining parliamentarians established the Social Democratic Labour Party in late 2017.[35] A new coalition agreement was signed, but the cabinet was only left with 69 seats of 141 and became a minority government.

The cabinet regained its majority in 2019 - according to the Constitution of Lithuania, the incumbent government must be reaffirmed after a presidential election, and Skvernelis thus held negotiations with minor parties in the Seimas after the 2019 Lithuanian presidential election. The Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania and the parliamentary group "For the Welfare of Lithuania" (Lithuanian: Frakcija „Lietuvos gerovei“), made up of former members of the Order and Justice party, joined the coalition.[36]

However, Skvernelis only retained a majority for four months - on 13 January 2020, the "For the Welfare of Lithuania" parliamentary group disbanded, as it lost the minimum required number of seven members to continue existing. The defector, Kęstutis Bartkevičius [lt], reportedly left due to being passed over for a minister position.[37]

On May 7, 2020, the Christian Union (consisting of 2 former members of the Homeland Union) expressed their support to the government.[38] The Constitution requires the coalition programme to be reapproved by the Seimas after the inclusion of a new coalition member, thus the Constitutional Court of Lithuania ruled that this action violated the Constitution. However, the ruling would not be officially announced until December 23 in order to allow the government to finish serving its term.[39]

2019 presidential campaign

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On 17 January 2019, Skvernelis announced his candidacy for the presidency.[40] In the first round of the presidential election he came third. After his poor showing Skvernelis announced that he would resign from position of prime minister, but later retracted his remarks.

Thirteenth Seimas (2020–2024)

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In March 2021 the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union and the Labour Party signed a coalition agreement that gave the needed number of members of Seimas for the parties to appoint the opposition leader to the Seimas' Board. On 25 March 2021 Skvernelis was appointed to this position. He remained in this position until mid-September 2021.

In late 2021, Skvernelis left the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union (LVŽS) political group in Seimas and formed the political group Democrats "For Lithuania".[41]

On 29 January 2022 he formed his own party, Union of Democrats "For Lithuania" (DSVL), and was elected its first chairman.[42]

Fourteenth Seimas (2024–2028)

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Prior to the 2024 Lithuanian parliamentary election, as the leader of the Union of Democrats "For Lithuania" (DSVL), Skvernelis had stated that he wished to avoid forming a coalition with the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union (LVŽS) to which he had previously belonged. He called Ramūnas Karbauskis, the leader of LVŽS, an "oligarch" and criticized his choice not to run as a candidate in the election.[43]

In the election, Skvernelis led the Union of Democrats to a fourth-place finish, with his party securing 14 out of 141 total seats in the Fourteenth Seimas. Skvernelis himself ran in the single-seat constituency of Lazdynai, where he lost in the run-off to then-Defence Minister Laurynas Kasčiūnas of the Homeland Union.[44] Skvernelis nonetheless secured a seat in the multi-mandate constituency due to his position in the party list.[45]

Following the first round of the election, the victorious Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP) invited DSVL and LVŽS to start coalition talks.[46] However, numerous disagreements persisted between the LVŽS and DSVL parties, with each proposing various restrictions for a potential coalition, and Karbauskis calling Skvernelis a "traitor" but still expressing some openness to working together.[47] Following the second round of the election, instead of LVŽS, the LSDP and DSVL signed a coalition agreement with Dawn of Nemunas. This coalition deal led to international criticism from politicians in the United States, Germany, and Israel due to allegedly antisemitic statements made by the founder of Dawn of Nemunas.[48]

Skvernelis was elected the Speaker of the Seimas on 14 November 2024, with 107 votes in favour and 19 against.[49]

Honours

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Foreign honours

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References

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  1. ^ "Prime Minister: Mr. Saulius Skvernelis". ministraspirmininkas.lrv.lt (in Lithuanian). Government of the Republic of Lithuania. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Seime prisiekė vidaus reikalų ministras S. Skvernelis". Delfi.lt. ELTA. 11 November 2014. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  3. ^ Jackevičius, Mindaugas. "Garliavos drama: mergaitė perduota motinai L.Stankūnaitei, aistros verda". DELFI.
  4. ^ Karaliūnas, Arūnas (17 May 2022). "Po 10 metų – žvilgsnis į šalį suskaldžiusią šeimos dramą Garliavoje: buvęs pareigūnas atskleidė, ko pavyko išvengti išlaisvinant mergaitę". Lietuvos rytas (in Lithuanian).
  5. ^ "Paaiškėjo, kodėl atsistatydino D. A. Barakauskas". Delfi (in Lithuanian). 31 October 2014.
  6. ^ "Naujasis vidaus reikalų ministras Saulius Skvernelis – tarp palankiausiai vertinamų veikėjų". 15min.lt (in Lithuanian). 12 November 2014.
  7. ^ Vyšniauskaitė, Birutė (20 November 2015). "Kas privertė ministrą Saulių Skvernelį atsistatydinti?". 15min.lt (in Lithuanian).
  8. ^ Želnienė, Liepa (24 November 2015). "Seimo nariai be Sauliaus Skvernelio žinios prašo premjero nepritarti jo atsistatydinimui". 15min.lt (in Lithuanian).
  9. ^ Želnienė, Liepa (30 November 2015). "Saulius Skvernelis lieka dirbti ministru". 15min.lt (in Lithuanian).
  10. ^ Lauryna, Vireliūnaitė (24 September 2015). "Saulius Skvernelis Seime: ką nuo ko reikės saugoti – lietuvius nuo pabėgėlių ar atvirkščiai?". 15min.lt (in Lithuanian).
  11. ^ "Saulius Skvernelis: Lietuva laikosi skeptiškos nuomonės dėl migrantų kvotų ES". 15min.lt (in Lithuanian). 14 September 2015.
  12. ^ "Saulius Skvernelis – populiariausias politikas, jis lenkia prezidentę ir premjerą". ve.lt. BNS. 30 January 2016. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  13. ^ Pumprickaitė, Nemira (29 March 2016). "Nepartinė S. Skvernelio karjera: kelias rizikingas". Delfi (in Lithuanian).
  14. ^ "Vidaus reikalų ministras S.Skvernelis nusprendė, su kuria partija eis į Seimo rinkimus". kasvyksta.lt. BNS. 23 March 2016. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  15. ^ ""Valstiečius" į rinkimus vedęs S. Skvernelis laimėjo sostinės Karoliniškių apygardoje" (in Lithuanian). Delfi.lt. BNS. 23 October 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  16. ^ "S. Skvernelis ves į rinkimus Valstiečių ir žaliųjų sąjungą" (in Lithuanian). Delfi.lt. BNS. 23 March 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  17. ^ "LRS Seimas: Saulius Skvernelis". LRS Seimas. 14 November 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  18. ^ "T. Žilinskas — naujasis vidaus reikalų ministras". Delfi.lt. BNS. 13 April 2016. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  19. ^ ""Valstiečius" į rinkimus vedęs S. Skvernelis laimėjo sostinės Karoliniškių apygardoje". sekunde.lt. BNS. 23 October 2016. Archived from the original on 9 November 2016. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  20. ^ Radžiūnas, Vytenis (2 November 2016). "Prieš TS-LKD prezidiumą – spaudimas jungtis į koaliciją su LVŽS". 15min.lt (in Lithuanian).
  21. ^ Samoškaitė, Eglė (9 November 2016). "Daliai socialdemokratų piktinantis R. Karbauskis ir A. Butkevičius pasirašė koalicijos susitarimą" [With some Social Democrats protesting, R. Karbauskis and A. Butkevičius have signed the coalition agreement] (in Lithuanian). Delfi.lt. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  22. ^ Sytas, Andrius (22 November 2016). "Defense hawk Skvernelis to be new Lithuanian prime minister". Reuters. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  23. ^ "Sauliaus Skvernelis pirmiausia griebsis darbo, kuris atsilieps daugeliui".
  24. ^ "S. Skvernelis: Mūsų prioritetas – šeimos puoselėjimas". 6 December 2016.
  25. ^ "Nuo kitų metų "vaiko pinigai" bus mokami visiems".
  26. ^ "Slėptos reformos: Atlyginimai ir pensijos augs dešimtimis eurų, keičiasi antroji pensijų pakopa".
  27. ^ "2018-ųjų pabaigoje streikavo beveik 3,7 tūkst. Mokytojų".
  28. ^ "15min paaiškina: Kodėl streikuoja mokytojai ir ko jie reikalauja?".
  29. ^ "Smūgis mokytojų protestą nuvertinusiam premjerui: Streikuos ir jo mokykla".
  30. ^ "Kas jis, Saulius Skvernelis? Komentuoja M. Antonovič, K. Girnius, M. Jastramskis [Alfa.lt]".
  31. ^ "Press freedom in danger in Lithuania?". 10 October 2018.
  32. ^ Bellamy-Walker, Tat (15 February 2018). "Lithuanian Prime Minister Wants Same-Sex Partnerships Law" – via www.thedailybeast.com.
  33. ^ Gudavičius, Stasys (22 April 2017). "Naujuoju LSDP pirmininku išrinktas Paluckas". Verslo žinios (in Lithuanian).
  34. ^ "LSDP taryba nusprendė: partija turi trauktis iš koalicijos". Social Democratic Party of Lithuania (in Lithuanian). 23 September 2017.
  35. ^ Damulytė, Jūratė (27 October 2017). [Skaityti daugiau: https://www.diena.lt/naujienos/lietuva/politika/seimo-maistininkai-kuria-nauja-socialdemokratu-partija-834973 "Seimo maištininkai kuria naują socialdemokratų partiją"]. Diena.lt (in Lithuanian). {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  36. ^ Pankūnas, Gytis (19 September 2019). "Oficialu: koalicija sustiprino pozicijas – jai talkininkaus frakcija "Lietuvos gerovei"". LRT (in Lithuanian).
  37. ^ Andriukaitytė, Milena (13 January 2020). "Išėjus Bartkevičiui, griuvo valdančioji frakcija "Lietuvos gerovei"". LRT (in Lithuanian).
  38. ^ Tracevičiūtė, Roberta. "S.Skvernelis sulaukė palaikymo: paramą pažadėjo su V.Orbanu bendradarbiavimą užmezgę politikai". 15min.lt.
  39. ^ "Lithuania's top court finds fault with government's reappointment". 28 August 2020.
  40. ^ "Patvirtino: S. Skvernelis dalyvaus prezidento rinkimuose | KaunoDiena.lt". 17 January 2019.
  41. ^ "Kuriama Demokratų sąjunga "Vardan Lietuvos" jau turi daugiau kaip 2000 steigėjų".
  42. ^ "Demokratų partijos "Vardan Lietuvos" pirmininku išrinktas Skvernelis: nesame, kaip kažkas bandė įvardyti, katės maiše". 29 January 2022.
  43. ^ Vaišvilaitė-Braziulienė, Justina (3 October 2024). "MP Skvernelis wants to avoid coalition with Farmers & Greens". Delfi.lt (in Lithuanian).
  44. ^ "Kandidatai: 9. Lazdynų" (in Lithuanian). Central Electoral Commission. 2024.
  45. ^ "2024 parliamentary elections. Candidate biography: Saulius SKVERNELIS" (in Lithuanian). Central Electoral Commission. 2024.
  46. ^ "Lithuanian Social Democratic leader's refusal to lead government raises trust issues". lrt.lt. 31 October 2024.
  47. ^ Vaišvilaitė-Braziulienė, Justina (18 October 2024). "LVŽS ready to work with Skvernelis' party despite betrayal – Karbauskis". Delfi.lt (in Lithuanian).
  48. ^ "Lithuanian Social Democrats sign coalition agreement with controversial politician". lrt.lt. 11 November 2024.
  49. ^ Anilionytė, Jūratė (14 November 2024). "Saulius Skvernelis, former police chief and PM, elected Lithuanian Seimas speaker". lrt.lt.
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Seimas
Preceded by Member of the Seimas for Karoliniškės
2016–2020 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Minister of the Interior
2014–2016 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Prime Minister of Lithuania
2016–2020 		Succeeded by
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