Gintautas Paluckas

Gintautas Paluckas, born on August 19, 1979, is a prominent Lithuanian politician who served as the 18th Prime Minister of Lithuania from December 2024 until his resignation on August 4, 2025. His political journey began as the Deputy Mayor of Vilnius from 2015 to 2019, and he later led the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP) from 2017 to 2021. Paluckas has been a member of the Seimas since the 2020 elections, showcasing his enduring influence in Lithuanian politics.

In the 2024 parliamentary elections, Paluckas contested in the single-member constituency of Utena, where he finished third. Despite this setback, the LSDP emerged victorious overall, allowing him to secure a seat in the Seimas through the party's proportional representation list. His leadership was further solidified when he was nominated and confirmed as Prime Minister, although his cabinet's inclusion of the Dawn of Nemunas led to public protests.

Paluckas's tenure as Prime Minister was marked by challenges, culminating in his announcement on July 31, 2025, to resign from both his role as Prime Minister and as head of the LSDP. This decision came in the wake of allegations of misconduct related to business interests and the initiation of formal investigations by anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies. In a significant turn of events, he returned as the leader of the LSDP in 2025 after Vilija Blinkevičiūtė chose not to seek another term.