The Mayor of Vilnius, officially the Mayor of the municipality of the city of Vilnius (Lithuanian: "Vilniaus miesto savivaldybės meras") is the head of the Lithuanian municipality of the city of Vilnius. The current incumbent is Valdas Benkunskas, following the 2023 Vilnius mayor elections.
Overview
The legislative and local executive powers are exercised by the municipality council (Lithuanian: savivaldybės taryba) and the directly elected mayor.
The mayor is both a member and the chairman of the municipality's council. The mayor also proposes candidates to his deputies, the director of municipality administration, and the director's deputies.
History
The mayor's institution was established in 1990 and it replaced the city's executive committee chairman. From 1990 to 2015 the mayor had been elected by the city's council (since 1995 – city's municipality council). Between 1990 and 2003, the mayor was a member of the municipality's board, which performed executive functions.
Between 1995 and 2003 the mayor appointed (or fired) eldermen.
Since 2015 the mayor is elected directly in a two-round system by voters registered in the municipality.
Mayors
Michał Józef Römer – 1812 Afanasiy Yarzhembskiy – 1876-1883 Nikolay Rubtsov – 1884-1895 Konstantin Aleksandrovich Golubinov – 1893-1897 Pavel Vasilevich Berthold – 1897-1905 Michał Węsławski – 1905-1916 – 1918-1919 Witold Abramowicz – 1919 – 1919-1927 Józef Folejewski – 1927-1932 – 1932-1939 – 1941-1944 Vytautas Bernatonis – 1990–1993 Alis Vidūnas – 1995–1997 Algirdas Čiučelis – 1997 Rolandas Paksas – 1997–1999, 2000 Juozas Imbrasas – 1999–2000, 2007–2009 Artūras Zuokas – 2000–2003, 2003–2007, 2011–2015 Gediminas Paviržis – 2003 Vilius Navickas – 2009–2010 Raimundas Alekna – 2010–2011 Remigijus Šimašius – 2015-2023 Valdas Benkunskas – since 2023
References
Bibliography