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Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas
Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas was born into a family of civil servants in Rokiškis in 1932. After graduating from Kaišiadorys secondary school in 1951, he enrolled at the Kaunas Polytechnic Institute, from which he graduated in 1956 as a civil engineer specializing in hydrotechnical equipment.
From 1965 to 1967 Algirdas Brazauskas was the Minister of Building Materials Industry. In 1967, he was appointed Deputy Chairman of the State Planning Committee. In 1974, Algirdas Brazauskas was granted the degree of Doctor of Economics.
In 1988, at the time of a deep crisis within the Communist Party, Algirdas Brazauskas was elected First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Lithuania. His candidature for the post was supported by the Lithuanian national liberation movement, Sąjūdis. Under his leadership, in 1989 the Communist Party of Lithuania broke away from the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. At the Constituent Congress of the Lithuanian Democratic Labour Party (LDLP) in December 1990, Algirdas Brazauskas was elected Chairman of the Party and became the leader of the largest political party in Lithuania.
After the LDLP won the parliamentary elections in October 1992, Algirdas Brazauskas was elected Chairman of the Seimas of Lithuania and became acting President of the country (on 25 November 1992).
During the presidential elections, which were held on 14 February 1993, Algirdas Brazauskas received 60 per cent of all votes and was elected President of the Republic of Lithuania for a term of five years. Pursuant to the Constitution of Lithuania, Algirdas Brazauskas suspended his membership in the LDLP. On 23 February 1993, he was inaugurated President of the Republic of Lithuania.
Having completed his term of office, Algirdas Brazauskas was succeeded on 26 February 1998 by Valdas Adamkus, who had won the presidential elections.
In January 2001 Algirdas Brazauskas was elected Chairman of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party.
On 3 July 2001, the Seimas approved him the Prime Minister of the Republic of Lithuania. He served in the post until the next general election.
On 25 November 2004, the Seimas again approved Algirdas Brazauskas as Prime Minister.
President Brazauskas is married, has two daughters and five grandchildren. Wife Kristina (married in 2002). His hobbies include yachting and hunting.
Algirdas Brazauskas is Doctor of Economics and Honorary Doctor of Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Kiev University, Minsk Humanitarian University and Kaunas Technological University.
Author of two books, "Lietuviškos skyrybos" ("Lithuanian Divorce"), published in Lithuanian, Russian and German, and "Penkeri Prezidento metai" ("Five Years as President"), published in Lithuanian.
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