Gitanas Nausėda
Gitanas Nausėda (born 19 May 1964) is a Lithuanian politician, economist and banker who is serving as the ninth and current president of Lithuania since 2019. He was previously director of monetary policy at the Bank of Lithuania from 1996 to 2000 and chief economist to the chairman of SEB bankas from 2008 to 2018.
Gitanas Nausėda | |
|---|---|
| 9th President of Lithuania | |
| Assumed office 12 July 2019 | |
| Prime Minister | Saulius Skvernelis Ingrida Šimonytė |
| Preceded by | Dalia Grybauskaitė |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 19 May 1964 Klaipėda, Lithuanian SSR, Soviet Union (now Lithuania) |
| Political party | Independent |
| Other political affiliations | Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1988–1991) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Vilnius University |
| Signature | |
Born in Klaipėda, Nausėda graduated from Vilnius University with an economics degree in 1987. After a career in banking and economics, Nausėda entered politics in 2019, running as an independent candidate in the 2019 Lithuanian presidential election. In the second round of the election, he defeated the independent, but Homeland Union endorsed Ingrida Šimonytė with 66 percent of the vote. His success has been attributed to his moderate, "catch-all" profile. As president, Nausėda tackled Lithuania's response to the 2020–2021 Belarusian protests and the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. He has had a strenuous relationship with the Šimonytė Cabinet, including proposals of impeachment and several political scandals.
On 7 December 2023, Nausėda announced his decision to run for re-election in the 2024 Lithuanian presidential election.