Impeachment of Rolandas Paksas

Impeachment of Rolandas Paksas
Rolandas Paksas in 2018.
Accused	Rolandas Paksas President of Lithuania
Date	23 December 2003 – 6 April 2004 (2003-12-23 – 2004-04-06)
Outcome	Found guilty by the Constitutional Court of Lithuania Removed from office Artūras Paulauskas appointed as acting President
Charges	Interfering in a privatization transaction Leaking classified information Improperly restoring Borisov's citizenship
Polls
Impeachment proceedings vote by Seimas (23 December 2003)
Votes in favor	94 / 141 (66.67%)
Votes against	11 / 141 (7.8%)
Not voting	10 / 141 (7.09%)
Result	Starting impeachment proceedings Rolandas Paksas duties & powers suspended. Artūras Paulauskas appointed as acting president.
Decision by Constitutional Court of Lithuania
Result	The court’s verdict concluded that Paksas's actions were incompatible with his duties as president, making him guilty of violating the Constitution.
Removal from office voted by the Seimas (6 April 2004)
Votes in favor	89 / 135 (65.93%)
Votes against	41 / 135 (30.37%)
Not voting	5 / 135 (3.7%)
Result	Removed from office. Valdas Adamkus elected as President on 12 July 2004.
Paksas was permanently banned from holding any future public office.

On 23 December 2003, the Seimas voted to initiate impeachment proceedings against President Rolandas Paksas. This action was taken following allegations of serious constitutional violations, including granting Lithuanian citizenship to a major campaign donor, Yuri Borisov, under questionable circumstances, leaking state secrets, and interfering in private business matters.

The case was referred to the Constitutional Court of Lithuania, which ruled on 31 March 2004 that Paksas had violated the Constitution and his oath of office. Following this decision, the Seimas convened on 6 April 2004 to vote on Paksas's removal, achieving the required three-fifths majority to impeach him, making Paksas the first European head of state to be removed via impeachment.

During the impeachment proceedings, the role of acting president was assumed by the Speaker of the Seimas, Artūras Paulauskas,pending the election of a new president.

History

In the second round of the 2002 presidential elections in the Republic of Lithuania, R. Paksas narrowly defeated the incumbent Valdas Adamkus and began his term as president on February 26, 2003. The scandal began on October 30, 2003, when the head of the State Security Department at the time, Mečys Laurinkus, presented a report to the General Prosecutor's Office, claiming that the president was dependent on international criminals and posed a threat to Lithuania's national security. This claim was later rejected by the Constitutional Court.