VALSTYBĖS PREZIDENTO POSTAS NESVETIMAS MOTERŲ SIEKIAMS
LITHUANIAN WOMEN’S ASPIRATIONS FOR PRESIDENCY

Summary/Abstract: In the 20th century, women made 53 per cent of the Lithuanian society. In the first Republic, they were not active participant in the ruling structures of the state and political life. In the second Republic, the situation was similar until 1999, when the Law of Equal Opportunities was passed.Women in Lithuania got political rights at the beginning of the 20th century when it was defined by a law of the the Constituent Assembly of Lithuania (Seimas).In 1926 there were four women elected into the third Seimas of Lithuania. In the same year, two women G. Petkevičaitė and F. Bortkevičienė ran for the post of President of Lithuania. They got only one vote each in the third Seimas as the Seimas had the right to elect the President of Lithuania. This fact that women as candidates participated in presidential elections in 1926 is very important and shows the strength of the Lithuanian women and their desire to struggle for the real equality in political rights. Lithuanian women have been actively participating in the country’s political life since 1988 when Sąjūdis movement was established, although Lithuania declared its independence just in 1990. Now women make up 30 per cent of the members in Seimas, however, in 1990 there were only 14 women and they made up 10 per cent of the Supreme Council (now Seimas). Such a rise was inevitable because most women organizations were established between 1992 and 1996. The sections of women began their activities in six political parties. The Women party was established by prof. Kazimiera Danutė Prunskienė. That was one of the reasons, which stimulated the parties to include more women into the election marathons.Prunskienė was the third woman who ran for Presidency in 2003 and 2004. In 2003, she was defeated in the second round by Rolandas Paksas. However, after Paksas’s impeachment in 2004, two women – Prunskienė ir Blinkevičiūtė – ran for the post was. Both candidates were supported by Lithuanian Peasant Popular Union and Lithuanian Liberal and Centre Union. Moreover, Blinkevičiūtė’s nomination was also supported by the interim president, the Chairman of Seimas, �Ar-Aartūras Paulauskas. Although Prunskienė received the majority vote in the first round, she lost to Valdas Adamkus in the second round.Prunskienė’s defeat in the presidential elections was conditioned not only by the society’s attitudes towards social roles, but also by lack of women’s solidarity, though since the first part of the 20th century they have constituted about 53 per cent of residents and can influence election results. However, their participation in political and social life is passive.

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