Kazimiera Prunskienė, Lithuania’s first post‑independence prime minister, dies at 84

Kazimiera Danutė Prunskienė, a signatory of the 1990 Act of the Re‑establishment of the State of Lithuania and the first prime minister of the restored independent Lithuania, died at the age of 84.

Born on 26 February 1943 in Vasiuliškės, Švenčionys district, she earned an economics degree from Vilnius University and became active in the Lithuanian Reform Movement. She served as deputy prime minister in 1989‑90 and as prime minister in 1990‑91, later holding the agriculture ministry, leading the Lithuanian Women’s Association, teaching at universities, and founding a consulting firm.

Her son Vaidotas confirmed her death; she had suffered a stroke in 2012 that reduced her public activity. Seimas Speaker Juozas Olekas issued a condolence statement, praising her historic role in securing Lithuania’s independence and her dedication to the nation.