page_title: Gediminas Kirkilas
section_title: Criticism and public perception
hierarchical_section_title: Gediminas Kirkilas / Criticism and public perception
caption_attribution_description: English: U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, right, greets Lithuanian Prime Minister Gediminas Kirkilas at the Pentagon River Entrance prior to escorting him through an honor cordon to conduct a closed door discussion of bilateral issues, July 1, 2008. Defense Dept
context_page_description: Gediminas Kirkilas is a Lithuanian politician who was Prime Minister of Lithuania from 2006 to 2008. He was confirmed by the Seimas on 4 July 2006 after Zigmantas Balčytis, the provisional Prime Minister, failed to gather the required support from the parliament. He stepped down on 27 November 2008 after the 2008 parliamentary elections, and gave way to Andrius Kubilius to start his term as the prime minister.
context_section_description: In July 2007, Kirkilas signed the protocol assigning the members of newly formed governmental work group to assist the energy company „Lietuvos energija“ in negotiating and consulting with potential foreign partners for a new Ignalina nuclear power plant project. A public turmoil followed after the name of Darius Jurgelevičius occurred in the list of the work group. After the so-called State Security Departament scandal in 2006, when a senior officer Vytautas Pociūnas died under controversial circumstances in a hotel in Belarus, the witnesses described Darius Jurgelevičius as a middleman transmitting then Lithuanian Foreign Ministry's clerk Albinas Januška's influence to State Security Departament. Albinas Januška currently works as G. Kirkilas's advisor.
  In July 2007, before handing his powers to his successors, Vidmantas Jankauskas the chairman of the State Price and Energy Control Commission spoke about the ties between gas companies and the Prime Minister Kirkilas, saying: "a gas company „Lietuvos dujos“ is privately lobbying G. Kirkilas and the second Lithuanian monopolist gas company Dujotekana – Ministry of Economics. CEO of Lietuvos dujos, Viktoras Valentukevičius, meets Kirkilas privately to play tennis".
  In October 2014, Fair Observer featured an interview with Kirkilas where he spoke on his pro-nuclear energy stance.
caption: Gediminas Kirkilas and Robert M. Gates, 1 July 2008.
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