Viktoras Pranckietis (born 26 July 1958) is a Lithuanian agronomist and politician. He was the speaker of the

Seimas The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublikos Seimas), or simply the Seimas (), is the unicameral parliament of Lithuania. The Seimas constitutes the legislative branch of government in Lithuania, enacting laws and amendme ...

Early life and education

Pranckietis was born in Ruteliai village, near Tytuvėnai, in

Kelmė District Municipality Kelmė (; is a city in northwestern Lithuania, a historical region of Samogitia. It has a population of 8,206 and is the administrative center of the Kelmė district municipality. History Kelmė's name may come from the Lithuanian ''kelmynės'' ...

. He graduated from high school in Tytuvėnai in 1973 and continued studying there at an agricultural technical school, afterwards briefly working at a local farm as an

agronomist An agriculturist, agriculturalist, agrologist, or agronomist (abbreviated as agr.), is a professional in the science, practice, and management of agriculture and agribusiness. It is a regulated profession in Canada, India, the Philippines, the ...

. Between 1977 and 1982, Pranckietis studied at the Lithuanian Academy of Agriculture (now Aleksandras Stulginskis University), earning a degree in scientific agronomy. In 1998, he earned a doctoral degree in biomedicine. Pranckietis spent most of his career working at the Lithuanian Academy of Agriculture, starting as a research assistant, and later working as the dean of the faculty of agronomy. He has written numerous scientific papers, books and textbooks, specializing in gardening and acted as a consultant on the subject for numerous specialized TV shows in Lithuania.

Political career

Pranckietis is a former member of the

Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union The Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union ( lt, Lietuvos valstiečių ir žaliųjų sąjunga, LVŽS)The party is also known as Lithuanian Peasant and Greens Union. is a green-conservative and agrarian political party in Lithuania led by Ram ...

. Since 2014, he has served as the deputy chairman of the party. He first unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the Lithuanian parliament, the

, in

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

, but was elected to the council of Kaunas District Municipality in 2015. In the parliamentary elections in October 2016, Pranckietis was elected to the parliament in the single-member constituency of

Raudondvaris Raudondvaris is a village on the Nevėžis River in Kaunas district, Lithuania, west of Kaunas city municipality. History The town was first mentioned in Teutonic chronicles in 1392. The old castle was rebuilt after the Battle of Grunwald an ...

. With Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union being the largest party in the

parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

, Pranckietis was elected as the Speaker of the Seimas in November 2016. In 2018 and 2019, there were two attempts to have no confidence vote on Pranckietis' speakership, but none of them prevailed.

Honours

Foreign honours

* : Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of Merit of the Italian Republic The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic ( it, Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana) is the senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-ranking ...

(14 January 2019) * : Grand Cross of the

Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland The Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland ( pl, Order Zasługi Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej) is a Polish order of merit created in 1974, awarded to persons who have rendered great service to Poland. It is granted to foreigners or Poles resident a ...

(1 July 2019)

References

External links

1958 births Living people Lithuanian agronomists People from Kelmė District Municipality Speakers of the Seimas 21st-century Lithuanian politicians Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union politicians Liberal Movement (Lithuania) politicians Vytautas Magnus University Agriculture Academy alumni {{Lithuania-politician-stub