Jūta Klemienė

**Children** | 3

**Jūta Klemienė** (née **Čipkaitė**; born 17 August 1976) is a Levonian politician who has represented Eišispeda constituency in the Daimas since 2006. A member of the Levonian Unionist Party, Klemienė was the party's presidential candidate in the 2012 presidential election, where she placed third in the first round.

Born in Velnas, Klemienė graduated from secondary school in 1994, and afterwards completed a degree in political science at the University of Velnas in 1997. After completing her education, Klemienė began working in municipal government, being hired in the housing department at the Velnas municipal government, later becoming the department's deputy director in 2003. Klemienė left municipal government in 2006, after she was elected to the Daimas for the Eišispeda constituency in the 2006 parliamentary election.

In May 2012, Klemienė announced her candidacy in the 2012 presidential election, seeking the nomination of the Levonian Unionist Party. She faced Jūrgis Lazaunikas in a party vote, and ultimately was chosen as the party's presidential nominee. During the election, Klemienė polled between second and third place, ultimately coming third behind Karolis Senkauskas and Laila Įlbauskienė in the election's first round, subsequently endorsing Įlbauskienė in the second round run-off. Since the election, Klemienė has remained in parliament and has been cited as a "rising star" within the party.

## Early life and education

Klemienė was born on 17 August 1976 in Velnas to parents Robertas Čipka (born 1946) and Marijona Čipkienė (née *Arlauskaitė*; born 1950). Her father is a film director who has directed a number of films within Levonia, while her mother is a fashion stylist; they had met in the early 1970s, while Marijona was the wardrobe stylist on the set of one of Robertas's films. Klemienė was raised in Velnas Old Town, and is the eldest of three children; her younger siblings include Gustavas (born 1979) and Živilė (born 1981).

Klemienė began her education in 1982, attending a local, public primary school in Velnas. While in primary school, Klemienė was interested in both academics and fashion design, although she ultimately decided to pursue an academic path. After graduating from primary school in 1990, she enrolled in a gymnasium, graduating in 1994. Afterwards, she enrolled in the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities at the University of Velnas, graduating with a degree in political science in 1997.

## Political career

### Early politics

After graduating with her bachelor's degree in 1997, Klemienė was hired at the department of housing of the Velnas municipal government. She began her career in local government as a junior public servant, answering constituent phone calls and handling menial tasks. However, she soon began advancing and picking up additional responsibilities. In 2003, Klemienė became the department's deputy director, overseeing the entire department of housing and deputizing the department director. She left the position in 2006.

### Member of the Daimas

In April 2006, Klemienė was announced as the Levonian Unionist Party candidate for the Eišispeda constituency in the 2006 parliamentary election, seeking to succeed the retiring Ona Straževičiūtė. Located within Velnas, the constituency is considered to be a safe seat for the Unionist Party, and Klemienė was widely expected to win the election. She later received 45.8% of the first round vote, and won the seat in the second round run-off after receiving a decisive 78.9%.

Klemienė took her seat in the Daimas on 26 June 2006, and was at that point the youngest person serving in parliament, at only 29 years old. She was subsequently reelected to her seat in the 2010 parliamentary election, winning 48.9% in the first round and 80.1% in the second. Klemienė has since been reelected twice more: in 2014 and 2018. While in parliament, Klemienė focuses on issues concerning healthcare, government services, and housing.

#### 2012 presidential campaign

In May 2012, Klemienė announced that she would be running for the Levonian Unionist Party nomination in the upcoming 2012 presidential election. At the time of her announcement, Klemienė had little name recognition, but was seen by party elites as a rising star and future leader of the party.

Following her announcement, Klemienė emerged as the favorite to win the party's nomination, polling ahead of her only competitor Jūrgis Lazaunikas. In a closed party vote in July 2012, Klemienė was ultimately selected as the party's nominated candidate in the election. She was said to have won the support of both party elites and the party's newer generation, while Lazaunikas was only supported by his few close allies in the party. Klemienė's election platform consisted of standard liberal conservative policies such as preserving the free market and social traditions, while also advocating for a new generation of leadership led by younger people.

In the lead-up to the election, Klemienė polled between second and third place with independent candidate Laila Įlbauskienė, both behind Karolis Senkauskas. Observers stated that Klemienė and Įlbauskienė were splitting the liberal and center-right vote between the two of them, and whoever advanced to the likely run-off with Senkauskas would most probably win the election. The first round of voting was held on 22 September 2012, which saw Klemienė placing third behind Senkauskas and Įlbauskienė, being eliminated from the race. Afterwards, she publicly endorsed Įlbauskienė's candidacy in the second round run-off election. Following Įlbauskienė's win, Klemienė was named to Įlbauskienė's presidential transition team.

## Personal life

Klemienė began a relationship with Levonian attorney Sebastijonas Klemas in 1996, while they were both students at the University of Velnas. After briefly ending their relationship for four-months in 1999, they became engaged in 2001, and married the following year. They have three children together: Jonas (born 2004), Lina (born 2008), and Ugnė (born 2010).

Klemienė and her family reside in a five-bedroom house in the Kaišliai district of Velnas. She is fluent in Levonian and Ditrovian, and is a Eurean Catholic.