24 Facts About Algirdas Brazauskas

Algirdas Brazauskas served as the prime minister of Lithuania from 2001 to 2006.

Algirdas Brazauskas served as head of the Communist Party of Lithuania that broke with Moscow.

Algirdas Brazauskas's father was Kazimieras Brazauskas and mother was Sofija Perezileviciute-Brazauskiene.

Algirdas Brazauskas finished Kaisiadorys High School in 1952 and graduated from Kaunas Polytechnic Institute in 1956 with a degree in civil engineering.

Algirdas Brazauskas later served as a Conscript sailor in the Soviet Navy, serving as a Fire controlman on board the Riga-class frigate Rosomacha until 1960.

In 1967, Algirdas Brazauskas started working in the Governmental Planning Committee, as a Committee's head's assistant.

Algirdas Brazauskas divorced his first wife, Julia, with whom he had two daughters; he married Kristina Butrimiene in 2002.

Algirdas Brazauskas held various positions in the government of Lithuanian SSR and Communist Party of Lithuania from 1965 onwards:.

Algirdas Brazauskas was seen as cautious by nature, and when confronted by the tide of nationalist feeling in the Soviet Union, Brazauskas initially believed that the USSR might be reconstituted as a looser federation of independent, but communist, states.

Algirdas Brazauskas was Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet from 15 January until 11 March 1990.

Algirdas Brazauskas then won the presidential election in a single round with 60 percent of the vote and was confirmed as president on 25 February 1993.

Algirdas Brazauskas immediately suspended his membership in the Democratic Labour Party; the Constitution does not allow the president to be a formal member of a political party during his tenure.

Algirdas Brazauskas proposed Democratic Labour Party politician Adolfas Slezevicius as Prime Minister, who formed the Slezevicius Cabinet, but avoided interference in cabinet choices and allowed Slezevicius to form his cabinet.

Algirdas Brazauskas supported Lithuania's accession to NATO and the European Union, though he was initially sceptical towards the United States and membership in NATO, and described Homeland Union proposals of demanding reparations from Russia to be "the politics of a hunched hedgehog".

In 1995, speaking before the Knesset, Algirdas Brazauskas officially apologized for the Lithuanian people's actions during the Holocaust.

Algirdas Brazauskas said he would continue writing it after his second stint in government.

Algirdas Brazauskas said he would finish "household work" and that he likes physical work.

Algirdas Brazauskas's government resigned on 2006 after the Labour Party left the governing coalition.

Algirdas Brazauskas decided not to remain in office as acting Prime Minister, and announced that he was finally retiring from politics.

Algirdas Brazauskas led the ruling Social Democratic Party of Lithuania for one more year, until 2007, when he passed the reins to Gediminas Kirkilas.

Algirdas Brazauskas served as the honorary chairman of the party, and remained an influential voice in party politics.

Algirdas Brazauskas was honored with the various decorations, among others the Order of Vytautas the Great with the Golden Chain, Grand Cross Order of Vytautas the Great.

Algirdas Brazauskas was an honorary member of the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation.

Algirdas Brazauskas died on 26 June 2010 from cancer, aged 77.