Kazimira Prunskienė, signatory of Lithuania’s Act of Independence, dies

Kazimira Prunskienė, a signatory of Lithuania’s Act of Independence and the country’s first female prime minister, has died, Delfi.lt reported, citing confirmation from her son Vaidotas.

Born on February 26, 1943, in the Švenčionys district, Prunskienė earned a doctorate in economics and was a founding member of the Sąjūdis reform movement, later serving on its initiative group and council.

Before entering politics, she worked as an economist at a housing construction combine (1964–1965) and graduated with honours from Vilnius University, where she later taught for 21 years, rising to associate professor. She also conducted research at universities in Hungary and other countries.

Elected to the Supreme Council-Reconstituent Seimas in 1990, she served on its Economic Commission. From 1990 to 1991, she held the office of prime minister, becoming Lithuania’s first female head of government. In this role, she met with world leaders including US President George H.W. Bush, UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, and French President François Mitterrand. These meetings later compelled Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to negotiate with Lithuania.

In 1993, she founded a private consulting firm, serving as its president and business consultant for three years. She later worked as a professor at Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, though this was not her primary position.

Prunskienė was a founder and chairwoman of the Lithuanian Women’s Party, which later became the New Democracy Party. In 2001, she led the Union of the Peasant and New Democracy Parties, renamed the Lithuanian Peasant Popular Union in 2005. She was elected to the Seimas in 1996 and 2000.

In 2001, she received Germany’s highest honour, the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit with Star, for exceptional contributions. She authored over 400 scientific articles on economics and several books.

Prunskienė ran for president in 2004, advancing to the second round alongside Valdas Adamkus but ultimately losing with 46.66% of the vote. She attempted another presidential bid in 2009, finishing fifth in the first round. In a post-election interview, she stated she would have aimed to restructure government policy to prioritise economic growth, consumption, and infrastructure development.

She retired from politics in 2012 after suffering a stroke on her 69th birthday, which left her with right-side paralysis. She underwent brain surgery and rehabilitation in Lithuania and later in Moscow.