Albertas Šimėnas Explained

Albertas Šimėnas
Order:2nd Prime Minister of Lithuania
Term Start:10 January 1991
Term End:13 January 1991
Predecessor:Kazimiera Prunskienė
Successor:Gediminas Vagnorius
Order2:Minister of Economy of Lithuania
Term Start2:30 May 1992
Term End2:21 July 1992
Predecessor2:Vytas Navickas
Successor2:Vytas Navickas
Order3:Member of the Seimas
Constituency3:Druskininkai
Term Start3:25 November 1996
Term End3:18 October 2000
Birth Date:17 February 1950
Birth Place:Papiliai, Lithuanian SSR
Party:Independent (1990)
Lithuanian Christian Democratic Party (1994-2004)
Homeland Union (since 2008)
Otherparty:Sąjūdis (1990–1992)
Alma Mater:Vilnius University

Albertas Šimėnas (born 17 February 1950) was Prime Minister of Lithuania for 3 days, from 10 to 13 January 1991. He disappeared during the January Events and was replaced by Gediminas Vagnorius.

Šimėnas graduated from the Vilnius University in 1972 with a degree in economics. He lectured at the Vilnius Gediminas Technical University from 1984 to 1989.[1] He joined activities of Sąjūdis movement and was elected to the Supreme Council – Reconstituent Seimas. On 11 March 1990 he signed the Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania, declaring Lithuania's independence from the Soviet Union. In January 1991, when the first government led by Kazimira Prunskienė resigned due to rising prices, Šimėnas became the Prime Minister of a largely unchanged government.[2] However, as the Soviet Army entered Vilnius and surrounded key buildings, Šimėnas disappeared. In an emergency session, Gediminas Vagnorius took over his cabinet and became the Prime Minister. Šimėnas suddenly reappeared on 14 January.[3] He joined Vagnorius' government as the Minister of Economy on 30 May 1991 and served until the government resigned on 21 July 1992.[4] In 1994, he joined the Lithuanian Christian Democratic Party and was elected to the Seventh Seimas in 1996.[1] He ran unsuccessfully in the 2004 Seimas and European Parliament elections, after which he joined the private sector.

Šimėnas published several academic papers on economy and a monograph about economic reforms in Lithuania from 1990 to 1994.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Albertas ŠIMĖNAS . . 2001 . 2008-09-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20081004171218/http://www3.lrs.lt/seimu_istorija/w3_lrs.seimo_narys-p_asm_id%3D159%26p_int_tv_id%3D784%26p_kalb_id%3D1%26p_kade_id%3D3.htm . 4 October 2008 . live . lt .
  2. Red Army clamps curfew on two Lithuanian cities . 14 January 1991 . Straits Times.
  3. Former Premier Simenas reappears at Supreme Council . 14 January 1991 . BBC Monitoring Service.
  4. Web site: Ankstesnės vyriausybės > Po 1990 metų . Government of the Republic of Lithuania . 2008-09-03. lt.