Juozas Olekas, a former defense and health minister who has served seven terms in Lithuania's parliament, has been elected speaker of Lithuania's 14th Seimas, News.az reports citing Xinhua.
The Seimas announced on Wednesday that 84 lawmakers voted in favor of Olekas, 20 voted against, 23 abstained, and three ballots were deemed invalid.
Speaking to the press, Olekas said his immediate priorities would be appointing deputies and reviewing the composition of parliamentary committees. "Later, the budget will be discussed, followed by a whole series of issues that are included in the agenda for the fall session," he was quoted as saying by the Baltic News Service.
Olekas, 69, was born in exile in Russia. He succeeds Saulius Skvernelis, leader of the Democratic Union "For Lithuania" (DSVL), which failed to join the new ruling majority.
A graduate in surgery from Vilnius University, Olekas later became an associate professor there and worked as a doctor. First elected to the Seimas in 1996, he also served as a member of the European Parliament from 2019 to 2024.
