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Antanas Guoga

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102-690: Antanas Guoga (born 17 December 1973), more commonly known as Tony G , is a Lithuanian - Australian businessman, poker player, politician and philanthropist . In November 2020, Antanas was elected to the 2020–2024 legislative period of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania in the Labour Party group. During 2014–2019 he was a Member of the European Parliament for the Liberal Movement , and from 2016

204-579: A "big heart", Guoga claims that he left all of his prize money with the officials to give to Russian orphanages , having been inspired to do so by Barry Greenstein 's habit of donating all his poker tournament winnings to charity. In January 2008, Guoga received the Shining World Leadership Award in Melbourne Australia. In the 2008 WSOP, he finished sixth in a $ 5,000 No Limit Deuce to Seven Draw tournament for $ 78,075. In 2009, Guoga

306-451: A 2019 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 1.62/10, ranking it 162nd globally out of 172 countries. Lithuanian ecosystems include natural and semi-natural (forests, bogs , wetlands and meadows), and anthropogenic (agrarian and urban) ecosystems. Among natural ecosystems, forests are particularly important to Lithuania, covering 33% of the country's territory. Wetlands (raised bogs, fens , transitional mires, etc.) cover 7.9% of

408-553: A coalition with the Homeland Union and the Freedom Party. In 2022 the party changed its name (removing the reference to the Republic of Lithuania) and logo. The Liberals' Movement is generally described as a centrist or centre-right party. It is socially and economically liberal , and ran on a platform of cutting taxation and legalizing gender-neutral partnerships during the 2020 Lithuanian parliamentary election . It

510-782: A decisive Polish–Lithuanian victory in the Battle of Grunwald in 1410 and by concluding the Treaty of Melno in 1422. In the 15th century the strengthened Grand Duchy of Moscow renewed the Muscovite–Lithuanian Wars for the Lithuanian-controlled Eastern Orthodox territories. Due to the unsuccessful beginning of the Livonian War , loss of land to the Tsardom of Russia , and pressure by monarch Sigismund II Augustus ,

612-501: A five-year term and serving a maximum of two terms. The president oversees foreign affairs and national security, and is the commander-in-chief of the military. The president also appoints the prime minister and, on the latter's nomination, the rest of the cabinet, as well as a number of other top civil servants and the judges for all courts except the Constitutional Court. The current Lithuanian head of state, Gitanas Nausėda

714-701: A fourth place finish in the € 250,000 No Limit Hold'em - Super High Roller event at the 2019 WSOP Europe in Rozvadov. He won € 799,045. In August 2021, Guoga won a $ 100,000 No Limit Short Deck Hold'em event at the Super High Roller Bowl in Kyrenia for $ 1,196,000. In May 2022, he earned his largest live tournament cash with a runner-up finish in the Triton Poker Series for $ 1,389,436. As of 2023, his total live tournament winnings exceed $ 11,200,000. His 20 cashes at

816-505: A fragmented multi-party system, with a number of small parties in which coalition governments are common. Ordinary elections to the Seimas take place on the second Sunday of October every four years. To be eligible for election, candidates must be at least 21 years old on the election day, not under allegiance to a foreign state and permanently reside in Lithuania. Persons serving or due to serve

918-697: A resolution, featuring the aspiration for the restoration of Lithuania's sovereignty and military alliance with Germany and elected the Council of Lithuania . In 1918, the short-lived Kingdom of Lithuania was proclaimed; however on 16 February 1918 the Council of Lithuania adopted the Act of Independence of Lithuania which restored Lithuania as democratic republic with its capital in Vilnius and separated that state from all state relations that existed with other nations. In 1918–1920

1020-429: A sentence imposed by the court 65 days before the election are not eligible. Also, judges, citizens performing military service, and servicemen of professional military service and officials of statutory institutions and establishments may not stand for election. Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats won the 2020 Lithuanian parliamentary elections and gained 50 of 141 seats in the parliament. In October 2020,

1122-683: A son and three daughters from previous relationships. Lithuania – in Europe  (green & dark grey) – in the European Union  (green)  –  [ Legend ] Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania , is a country in the Baltic region of Europe . It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea , bordered by Latvia to

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1224-622: A substitute member of the delegation for relations with Switzerland and Norway in the EU-Iceland Joint Parliamentary Committee and in the European Economic Area (EEA) Joint Parliamentary Committee. He was also a substitute member in the Employment and Social Affairs Committee (EMPL). Guoga is Coder Dojo and entrepreneurship education ambassador in Lithuania. In 2016, he launched Coder Dojo movement in Lithuania and

1326-755: A supporter of a close Polish–Lithuanian union, the Lithuanian nobility agreed to conclude the Union of Lublin in 1569 with the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland , which created a new federative Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth with a joint monarch (holding both titles of the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania), but Lithuania remained a separate state from Poland with its own territory (~300 000 km2), coat of arms, management apparatus, laws, courts, seal, army, treasury, etc. After concluding

1428-605: A year before the formal dissolution of the Soviet Union , Lithuania became the first Soviet republic to break away when it proclaimed the restoration of its independence . Lithuania is a developed country with a high income , advanced economy , ranking 37th in the Human Development Index (HDI) and 19th in the World Happiness Report . Lithuania is a member of the European Union , the Council of Europe ,

1530-692: Is considered to be more moderate than the Freedom Party . It supports the European Green Deal , strengthening the Common Security and Defence Policy and wider adoption of qualified majority in the Council of the European Union . A conservative faction exists within the party, named " agroliberals " (Lithuanian: agroliberalai ). Five members of the Seimas belonging to the Liberals' Movement in

1632-527: Is not farmed, and acts as an ecological niche for weeds and invasive plant species. Habitat deterioration is occurring in regions with very productive and expensive lands as crop areas are expanded. Currently, 18.9% of all plant species, including 1.87% of all known fungi species and 31% of all known species of lichens, are listed in the Lithuanian Red Data Book . The list also contains 8% of all fish species. The wildlife populations have rebounded as

1734-454: Is still used, usually poetically or in historical contexts, in the Latvian language , which is closely related to Lithuanian. The history of Lithuania dates back to settlements founded about 10,000 years ago. The first people settled in the territory of Lithuania after the last glacial period in the 10th millennium BC : Kunda , Neman and Narva cultures . They were traveling hunters. In

1836-691: Is the largest, Tauragnas is the deepest and Asveja is the longest lake in Lithuania. After a re-estimation of the boundaries of the continent of Europe in 1989, Jean-George Affholder, a scientist at the Institut Géographique National (French National Geographic Institute), determined that the geographic centre of Europe was in Lithuania, at 54°54′N 25°19′E  /  54.900°N 25.317°E  / 54.900; 25.317  ( Purnuškės (centre of gravity) ) , 26 kilometres (16 mi) north of Lithuania's capital city of Vilnius . Affholder accomplished this by calculating

1938-576: The 2023 NATO summit was held in Vilnius. Lithuania is located in the Baltic region of Europe and covers an area of 65,300 km (25,200 sq mi). It lies between latitudes 53° and 57° N , and mostly between longitudes 21° and 27° E (part of the Curonian Spit lies west of 21°). It has around 99 kilometres (61.5 mi) of sandy coastline, only about 38 kilometres (24 mi) of which face

2040-635: The Asian Poker Tour event held in Singapore , walking away with $ 451,700, half of which he indicated he will give to Asian and Australian charities to be nominated by Betfair. In February 2007, he appeared on the NBC television program Poker After Dark , coming in third place behind winner Phil Ivey . In November of the same year, he won a tournament in Moscow, earning $ 205,000. Often telling his opponents that he has

2142-784: The European Peoples Party . In May 2016, Guoga was the temporary leader of the Liberal Movement following the bribery scandal that prompted Eligijus Masiulis to step down after potentially corrupt activities. Guoga spent his childhood in Kaunas and in the Alytus district (Kalesninkai) in Lithuania. When he was 11 years old, he moved to Australia. Guoga lived in Melbourne where he graduated from school, and had various jobs, including repairing sewing machines and washing cars. In November 2020 he

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2244-613: The French invasion of Russia has established the puppet Lithuanian Provisional Governing Commission to support his war efforts, however after Napoleon's defeat the Russian rule was reinstated in Lithuania. During the November Uprising (1830–1831) the Lithuanians and Poles jointly attempted to restore their statehoods, however the Russian victory resulted in stricter Russification measures:

2346-640: The Grand Duchy of Lithuania 's territory, which reached ~650,000 km2 in the first half of the 14th century. At the end of the 14th century Lithuania was the largest country in Europe . In 1385, Lithuania formed a dynastic union with Poland through the Union of Krewo . Furthermore, in the late 14th–15th centuries patrilineal members of the Lithuanian ruling Gediminids dynasty ruled not only Lithuania and Poland, but Hungary , Croatia , Bohemia , and Moldavia . The German attacks on Lithuania were ceased with

2448-686: The International Consortium of Investigative Journalism cited his name in the list of politicians named in " Paradise Papers " allegations. Since 2014, Guoga has been married to Aistė Šlapokaitė, a former psychology student and a photo model for clothing brands like Armani Jeans , Prada and Max Mara . Guoga and Šlapokaitė met during her 30th birthday celebrations in a Vilnius night club . Together they have two sons (Herkus, born in 2015 in Brussels and Tauras, born in 2016 in Vilnius). Guoga also has

2550-527: The Nemunas River basin occupying 74% of the territory of the country. Due to the construction of dams, approximately 70% of spawning sites of potential catadromous fish species have disappeared. In some cases, river and lake ecosystems continue to be impacted by anthropogenic eutrophication . Agricultural land comprises 54% of Lithuania's territory (roughly 70% of that is arable land and 30% meadows and pastures), approximately 400,000 ha of agricultural land

2652-449: The OECD . Dalia Grybauskaitė was the first female President of Lithuania (2009–2019) and the first to be re-elected for a second consecutive term. On 24 February 2022, Lithuania declared a state of emergency in response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine . Together with seven other NATO member states, it invoked NATO Article 4 to hold consultations on security. On 11–12 July 2023,

2754-481: The Red Army was expelled from its territory, however in a few days Lithuania was occupied by Nazi Germany . In 1944 Lithuania was re-occupied by the Soviet Union and Soviet political repressions along with Soviet deportations from Lithuania resumed. Thousands of Lithuanian partisans and their supporters attempted to militarily restore independent Lithuania, but their resistance was eventually suppressed in 1953 by

2856-623: The Roman Empire , but they did maintain trade contacts via the amber road . From the 9th to the 11th centuries, coastal Balts were subjected to raids by the Vikings . The first written record of the name for the country dates back to 1009 AD. Facing the German threat , Mindaugas in the middle of the 13th century united a large part of the Baltic tribes and founded the State of Lithuania, while in 1253 he

2958-581: The Russian Empire annexing most of Lithuania's territory. Towards the end of World War I , Lithuania declared Independence in 1918, founding the modern Republic of Lithuania. In World War II , Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union , then by Nazi Germany , before being reoccupied by the Soviets in 1944. Lithuanian armed resistance to the Soviet occupation lasted until the early 1950s. On 11 March 1990,

3060-532: The Russian language has been introduced in all government institutions, Vilnius University was closed in 1832, and theories that Lithuania was a "Western Russian" state since its establishment were propagated. Subsequently, the Lithuanians once again tried to restore statehood by participating in the January Uprising (1863–1864), but yet another Russian victory resulted in even stronger Russification policies with

3162-541: The Seimas and 5.72 percent of the national vote. The LRLS formed a coalition with the Homeland Union, the Liberal and Centre Union, and the National Resurrection Party . This coalition gained a combined governmental majority of 80 out of 141 seats in the Seimas, led by Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius of the Homeland Union. At the subsequent elections of 2012 , the party lost one seat to finish with 10 seats in

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3264-424: The Seimas and 8.57 percent of the national vote. Just month before the 2011 municipal election, the party started to describe itself as "rational mind right-wingers" ( Lithuanian : sveiko proto dešinieji ), which amplified the possibility to win over the Liberal and Centre Union and the Homeland Union. The party's support started to grow. In the 2014 European Parliament election and the 2015 municipal election

3366-513: The Soviet authorities and their collaborators . Jonas Žemaitis , the chairman of the Union of Lithuanian Freedom Fighters , was captured and executed in 1954, his successor as chairman Adolfas Ramanauskas was brutally tortured and executed in 1957. Since the late 1980s Sąjūdis movement sought for the restoration of independent Lithuania and in 1989 the Baltic Way was held. On 11 March 1990,

3468-483: The Supreme Council announced the restoration of Lithuania's independence. Lithuania became the first Soviet-occupied state to announce the restitution of independence. On 20 April 1990, the Soviets imposed an economic blockade by ceasing to deliver supplies of raw materials to Lithuania. Not only domestic industry, but also the population started feeling the lack of fuel, essential goods, and even hot water. Although

3570-591: The Thirteenth Seimas – Romualdas Vaitkus , Juozas Baublys , Ričardas Juška , Viktoras Pranckietis and Jonas Varkalys – are considered to be members of the faction. During the term, this faction opposed same-sex partnerships, decriminalization of small quantities of narcotics, and mandatory vaccinations for doctors and social workers. Main party support is coming from urban areas (notably, from Klaipėda ). The party receives support from rural areas as well, but this support comes from suburbs of towns closer to

3672-708: The World War II concluded the Soviet–Lithuanian Mutual Assistance Treaty . In 1940 Lithuania has accepted the Soviet ultimatum and recovered the control of historical capital Vilnius, however the acceptance resulted in the Soviet occupation of Lithuania and its transformation into the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic . In 1941 during the June Uprising in Lithuania it was attempted to restore independent Lithuania and

3774-561: The centre of gravity of the geometrical figure of Europe. Lithuania has a temperate climate with both maritime and continental influences. It is defined as humid continental (Dfb) under the Köppen climate classification (but is close to oceanic in a narrow coastal zone). Average temperatures on the coast are −2.5 °C (27.5 °F) in January and 16 °C (61 °F) in July. In Vilnius,

3876-558: The ethnolinguistic group of the Balts and speak Lithuanian . For millennia, the southeastern shores of the Baltic Sea were inhabited by various Baltic tribes . In the 1230s, Lithuanian lands were united for the first time by Mindaugas , who formed the Kingdom of Lithuania on 6 July 1253. Subsequent expansion and consolidation resulted in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania , which by the 14th century

3978-708: The eurozone , the Nordic Investment Bank , the Schengen Agreement , NATO , and OECD . It also participates in the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) regional co-operation format. The first known record of the name of Lithuania ( Lithuanian : Lietuva ) is in a 9 March 1009 story of Saint Bruno in the Quedlinburg Chronicle . The Chronicle recorded a Latinized form of the name Lietuva: Litua (pronounced [litua] ). Due to lack of reliable evidence,

4080-422: The new constitution . There were intense debates concerning the constitution, particularly the role of the president. A separate referendum was held on 23 May 1992 to gauge public opinion on the matter, and 41% of voters supported the restoration of the President of Lithuania . Through compromise, a semi-presidential system was agreed on. The Lithuanian head of state is the president, directly elected for

4182-399: The real union Lithuania and Poland jointly managed to reach military successes during the Livonian War, occupation of Moscow (1610), war with Sweden (1600–1611) , Smolensk war with Russia (1632–1634) , etc. In 1588, Sigismund III Vasa personally confirmed the Third Statute of Lithuania where it was stated that Lithuania and Poland have equal rights within the Commonwealth and ensured

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4284-406: The renewable energy sources. In 2016, Lithuania introduced especially effective container deposit legislation , which resulted in collecting 92% of all packagings in 2017. Lithuania does not have high mountains and its landscape is dominated by blooming meadows, dense forests and fertile fields of cereals. However, it stands out by the abundance of hillforts , which previously had castles where

4386-469: The separation of powers . The real union strongly intensified the Polonization of Lithuania and Lithuanian nobility. The mid-17th century was marked with disastrous military loses for Lithuania as during the Deluge most of the territory of Lithuania was annexed by the Tsardom of Russia and even Lithuania's capital Vilnius was fully captured for the first time by a foreign army and ravaged. In 1655, Lithuania unilaterally seceded from Poland, declared

4488-403: The Żeligowski's Mutiny the Polish forces captured Vilnius Region and established a puppet state of the Republic of Central Lithuania , which in 1922 was incorporated into Poland. Consequently, Kaunas became the temporary capital of Lithuania where the Constituent Assembly of Lithuania was held and other primary Lithuanian institutions operated until 1940. In 1923, the Klaipėda Revolt

4590-408: The 1960s. A warming trend has persisted since then. Lithuania experienced a drought in 2002, causing forest and peat bog fires. After the restoration of Lithuania's independence in 1990, the Aplinkos apsaugos įstatymas (Environmental Protection Act) was adopted already in 1992. The law provided the foundations for regulating social relations in the field of environmental protection, established

4692-405: The 8th millennium BC, the climate became warmer, and forests developed. The inhabitants of what is now Lithuania travelled less and engaged in local hunting, gathering and fresh-water fishing. The Indo-Europeans , who arrived in the 3rd – 2nd millennium BC, mixed with the local population and formed various Baltic tribes . The Baltic tribes did not maintain close cultural or political contacts with

4794-415: The Belarusian border in what became known as the Medininkai Massacre . On 17 September 1991, Lithuania was admitted to the United Nations . On 25 October 1992, citizens voted in a referendum to adopt the current constitution . On 14 February 1993, during the direct general elections, Algirdas Brazauskas became the first president after the restoration of independence. On 31 August 1993 the last units of

4896-562: The Crusaders, fighting alongside other Baltic tribes, but was unable to militarily assist the Old Prussians in their Great Uprising . Traidenis' main residence was in Kernavė . From the late 13th century members of the Lithuanian Gediminids dynasty began ruling Lithuania, who consolidated a hereditary monarchy and the status of Vilnius as permanent capital city , christianized Lithuania and by incorporating East Slavs ' territories (e.g. principalities of Minsk , Kyiv , Polotsk , Vitebsk , Smolensk , etc.) significantly expanded

4998-423: The European Commission for the Digital Single Market Andrus Ansip, Vytenis Andriukaits, EC Commissioner and representatives of tech leaders such as Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Facebook, Uber, Allegro, Dash, Dell, Oath, Nasdaq, Mastercard, Tele2 In 2016–2017, Guoga was Chief Investment Officer to the Mayor of Vilnius, Remigijus Šimašius . Guoga was nominated as a candidate for the European parliamentary elections at

5100-402: The Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee (IMCO). Guoga was actively involved in a number of Digital Single Market topics. Being an entrepreneur himself, Guoga worked for better conditions for European businesses, especially in the technology sector. These conditions include smarter regulations, less red tape, and policies that encourage innovation and entrepreneurship. In 2015 Guoga

5202-421: The Lithuanians defended the statehood of Lithuania during the Lithuanian Wars of Independence with Bolsheviks , Bermontians and Poles . The aims of the newly restored Lithuania clashed with Józef Piłsudski 's plans to create a federation ( Intermarium ) in territories previously ruled by the Jagiellonians . The Lithuanian authorities prevented the 1919 Polish coup attempt in Lithuania and in 1920 during

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5304-410: The Seimas, and the Chairman of the Supreme Court,. The unicameral Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas , has 141 members who are elected to four-year terms. 71 of the members of its members are elected in single-member constituencies, and the others in a nationwide vote by proportional representation . A party must receive at least 5% of the national vote to be eligible for any of the 70 national seats in

5406-442: The Seimas. Lithuania was one of the first countries in the world to grant women a right to vote in the elections. Lithuanian women were allowed to vote by the 1918 Constitution of Lithuania and used their newly granted right for the first time in 1919. By doing so, Lithuania allowed it earlier than such democratic countries as the United States (1920), France (1945), Greece (1952), Switzerland (1971). Lithuania exhibits

5508-476: The Seimas; Contribution to shaping of international trade and development cooperation policy; Debates on representation of the Seimas at international organisations, submission of recommendations concerning the activities of the Seimas delegations, co-ordination of activities of the groups for inter-parliamentary relations; parliamentary scrutiny of the ministries and other governmental agencies implementing foreign policy, submission of proposals and recommendations on

5610-523: The Swedish King Charles X Gustav as the Grand Duke of Lithuania and fell under the protection of the Swedish Empire . However, by 1657 Lithuania was once again a part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth following the Lithuanian revolt against the Swedes. Vilnius was recaptured from the Russians in 1661. In the second half of the 18th century the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was three times partitioned by three neighboring countries which completely dissoluted both independent Lithuania and Poland from

5712-619: The WPT Bad Boys of Poker II event when his 10 ♦   8 ♦ outdrew Mike Matusow 's K ♠   K ♥ on a board of 8 ♠   10 ♠   2 ♥   9 ♥   Q ♣ . He wore a kimono throughout the event to promote poker in Japan . Also in 2006, he finished second to Yosh Nakano while representing Australia in the inaugural Intercontinental Poker Championship , taking down $ 150,000. True to his reputation, Tony G launched many verbal assaults against his opponents, most notably when he eliminated Russian Ralph Perry in fourth place. Tony G started to provoke Perry when he

5814-416: The WPT Grand Prix de Paris 2004, where his second-place finish to England 's Surinder Sunar earned him $ 414,478. He finished on the bubble later in the same month at the WPT 2004 Mirage Poker Showdown. On 7 August 2005 he won the £5,000 no-limit Texas hold 'em Main Event of the European Poker Championships, earning £260,000. Later in 2005, he made the final table of the World Speed Poker Open. In 2006, he won

5916-448: The WSOP account for $ 1,886,714 of those winnings. Guoga is currently a major sponsor of the Lithuanian Basketball Federation . When the country's national team failed to directly qualify for the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey and had to apply for a wild-card entry, he paid a large share of the application fee of €500,000. The team was chosen for the tournament, and won the bronze medal with TONYBET printed on their jerseys. He

6018-441: The age of 11. He has played poker since the age of 18, and is known for his outlandish table talk and frequent attempts at intimidation of his opponents. He had a fifth-place finish in the World Poker Tour Grand Prix de Paris 2003. He finished in the money twice at the 2004 World Series of Poker in Seven-card stud and Pot Limit Texas hold 'em tournaments. Three months later he earned his then biggest tournament money finish in

6120-457: The ancient Lithuanians burned altars for pagan gods. Lithuania is a particularly watered region with more than 3,000 lakes, mostly in the northeast. The country is also drained by numerous rivers, most notably the longest Nemunas . Lithuania is home to two terrestrial ecoregions: Central European mixed forests and Sarmatic mixed forests . Forest has long been one of the most important natural resources in Lithuania. Forests occupy one-third of

6222-486: The average temperatures are −6 °C (21 °F) in January and 17 °C (63 °F) in July. During the summer, 20 °C (68 °F) is common during the day, while 14 °C (57 °F) is common at night; in the past, temperatures have reached as high as 30 or 35 °C (86 or 95 °F). Some winters can be very cold. −20 °C (−4 °F) occurs almost every winter. Winter extremes are −34 °C (−29 °F) in coastal areas and −43 °C (−45 °F) in

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6324-405: The basic rights and obligations of legal and natural persons in preserving the biodiversity inherent in Lithuania, ecological systems and the landscape. Lithuania agreed to cut carbon emissions by at least 20% of 1990 levels by 2020 and by at least 40% by 2030, together with all European Union members. Also, by 2020 at least 20% (27% by 2030) of the country's total energy consumption should be from

6426-417: The blockade lasted for 74 days, Lithuania did not renounce the declaration of independence. Gradually, economic relations were restored. However, tensions peaked again in January 1991. Attempts were made to carry out a coup using the Soviet Armed Forces , the Internal Army of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the USSR Committee for State Security ( KGB ). Because of the poor economic situation in Lithuania,

6528-408: The country's territory and timber-related industrial production accounts for almost 11% of industrial production in the country. Lithuania has five national parks , 30 regional parks , 402 nature reserves , 668 state-protected natural heritage objects. In 2018 Lithuania was ranked fifth, second to Sweden (first 3 places were not granted) in the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI). It had

6630-412: The country, with 70% of wetlands having been lost due to drainage and peat extraction between 1960 and 1980. Changes in wetland plant communities resulted in the replacement of moss and grass communities by trees and shrubs, and fens not directly affected by land reclamation have become drier as a result of a drop in the water table. There are 29,000 rivers with a total length of 64,000 km in Lithuania,

6732-422: The east of Lithuania. The average annual precipitation is 800 mm (31.5 in) on the coast, 900 mm (35.4 in) in the Samogitia highlands, and 600 mm (23.6 in) in the eastern part of the country. Snow occurs every year, and it can snow from October to April. In some years, sleet can fall in September or May. The growing season lasts 202 days in the western part of the country and 169 days in

6834-424: The eastern part. Severe storms are rare in the eastern part of Lithuania but common in the coastal areas. The longest records of measured temperature in the Baltic area cover about 250 years. The data show warm periods during the latter half of the 18th century, and that the 19th century was a relatively cool period. An early 20th-century warming culminated in the 1930s, followed by a smaller cooling that lasted until

6936-413: The edge of the North European Plain . Its landscape was smoothed by the glaciers of the last ice age , and is a combination of moderate lowlands and highlands. Its highest point is Aukštojas Hill at 294 metres (965 ft) in the eastern part of the country. The terrain features numerous lakes ( Lake Vištytis , for example) and wetlands, and a mixed forest zone covers over 33% of the country. Drūkšiai

7038-404: The election day and reside in Lithuania for at least three years, in addition to satisfying the eligibility criteria for a member of the parliament. Same President may serve for not more than two terms. Gitanas Nausėda was elected as an independent candidate in 2019 and re-elected in 2024 . Each municipality in Lithuania is governed by a municipal council and a mayor , who is a member of

7140-417: The following process: hydronym → toponym → ethnonym . Lietava , a small river not far from Kernavė , the core area of the early Lithuanian state and a possible first capital of the eventual Grand Duchy of Lithuania , is usually credited as the source of the name. However, the river is very small and some find it improbable that such a small and local object could have lent its name to an entire nation. On

7242-460: The forces in Moscow thought the coup d'état would receive strong public support. People flooded to Vilnius to defend the Supreme Council of the Republic of Lithuania and independence. The coup ended with a few casualties and material loss. The Soviet Army killed 14 people and injured hundreds. A large part of the Lithuanian population participated in the January Events . On 31 July 1991, Soviet paramilitaries killed 7 Lithuanian border guards on

7344-557: The former Soviet Army left Lithuania. On 31 May 2001, Lithuania joined the World Trade Organization (WTO). Since March 2004, Lithuania has been part of NATO . On 1 May 2004, it became a full member of the European Union , and a member of the Schengen Agreement in December 2007. On 1 January 2015, Lithuania joined the eurozone and adopted the European Union's single currency. On 4 July 2018, Lithuania officially joined

7446-442: The hunting became more restricted and urbanization allowed replanting forests (forests already tripled in size since their lows). Currently, Lithuania has approximately 250,000 larger wild animals or 5 per each square kilometre. The most prolific large wild animal in every part of Lithuania is the roe deer , with 120,000 of them. They are followed by boars (55,000). Other ungulates are the deer (~22,000), fallow-deer (~21,000) and

7548-570: The improvement of their activities; Cultivation and development of relations, in co-operation with governmental and non-governmental organisations. Guoga was a member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats group in the European Parliament until 4 October 2016. He became a member of the European People's Party which is the biggest party in the Parliament. He worked on a range of digital policies in

7650-544: The introduction of the Lithuanian press ban , pressure of the Catholic Church in Lithuania and Mikhail Muravyov-Vilensky 's repressions. The Lithuanians resisted Russification through an extensive network of Lithuanian book smugglers , secret Lithuanian publishing and homeschooling. Moreover, the Lithuanian National Revival , inspired by Lithuanian history, language and culture, laid the foundations for

7752-578: The largest one: moose (~7,000). Among the Lithuanian predators, foxes are the most common (~27,000). Wolves are, however, more ingrained into the mythology as there are just 800 in Lithuania. Even rarer are the lynxes (~200). The large animals mentioned above exclude the rabbit , ~200,000 of which may live in the Lithuanian forests. Since Lithuania declared the restoration of its independence on 11 March 1990, it has maintained strong democratic traditions. It held its first independent general elections on 25 October 1992, in which 56.75% of voters supported

7854-513: The leaders of the district committees of Vilnius, Klaipėda and Varėna districts ( Aušrinė Armonaitė , Vytautas Grubliauskas and Algis Kašėta respectively) resigned from their positions or left the party altogether. One of these public election committees, "For Vilnius, which we are proud of!", in summer of 2019 formed a basis for a new party, the Freedom Party . Other aforementioned public election committees (alongside one in Elektrėnai ) joined

7956-401: The mayor is elected directly by the majority of residents of the municipality. Social Democratic Party of Lithuania won most of the positions in the 2015 elections (372 municipal councils seats and 16 mayors). Liberal Movement (Lithuania) The Liberals' Movement ( Lithuanian : Liberalų sąjūdis ; LS ) is a conservative-liberal political party in Lithuania . The party

8058-450: The municipal council. The number of members, elected on a four-year term, in each municipal council depends on the size of the municipality and varies from 15 (in municipalities with fewer than 5,000 residents) to 51 (in municipalities with more than 500,000 residents). 1,524 municipal council members were elected in 2015. Members of the council, with the exception of the mayor, are elected using proportional representation. Starting with 2015,

8160-623: The new party as well. On the other hand, the public election committee "For changes in Pagėgiai area" prior to the 2020 parliamentary election joined the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union , while most of the members of the Order and Justice Party (which dissolved itself in 2020) in the same area became members of the Liberal Movement. In 2020 parliamentary election the Liberals' Movement managed to obtain seven per cent of votes. It later joined in

8262-436: The north, Belarus to the east and south, Poland to the south, and the Russian semi-exclave of Kaliningrad Oblast to the southwest, with a maritime border with Sweden to the west. Lithuania covers an area of 65,300 km (25,200 sq mi), with a population of 2.88 million. Its capital and largest city is Vilnius . Other major cities are Kaunas , Klaipėda , Šiauliai and Panevėžys . Lithuanians belong to

8364-554: The open Baltic Sea , less than the other two Baltic states. The rest of the coast is sheltered by the Curonian sand peninsula. Lithuania's major warm-water port , Klaipėda , lies at the narrow mouth of the Curonian Lagoon (Lithuanian: Kuršių marios ), a shallow lagoon extending south to Kaliningrad . The country's main and largest river, the Nemunas River , and some of its tributaries carry international shipping. Lithuania lies at

8466-479: The other hand, such naming is not unprecedented in world history. Artūras Dubonis proposed another hypothesis, that Lietuva relates to the word leičiai (plural of leitis ). From the middle of the 13th century, leičiai were a distinct warrior social group of the Lithuanian society subordinate to the Lithuanian ruler or the state itself. The word leičiai is used in 14–16th century historical sources as an ethnonym for Lithuanians (but not Samogitians ) and

8568-520: The party members, Guoga left the party on 17 May 2016. On 9 March 2019 Guoga announced that he would seek re-election to the European Parliament with the Lithuanian Centre Party . The party received 5.13% of the national vote and did not receive any representatives in the European Parliament. As a child, Guoga was the Rubik's Cube champion of Lithuania before moving to Melbourne , Australia , at

8670-557: The party received 16.55 and 15.49 per cent of the national vote respectively. This growth was mainly at expense of the Liberal and Centre Union and the Lithuanian Freedom Union (Liberals) , which received 1.48 and per 4.91 cent of national vote 2014 and 2015 elections respectively. It was also attributed to the previously undecided voters or voters of other parties (the Homeland Union, the Order and Justice and Labour Party ). After

8772-672: The party's leader Eligijus Masiulis allegedly took a bribe of 106,000 euros, Antanas Guoga temporarily took his position on 13 May 2016. He was the chairman for four days only before resigning. One month later, the mayor of Vilnius Remigijus Šimašius was elected as party's chairman. The Šimašius leadership did not last long, and in 2017 Eugenijus Gentvilas was elected as the new leader. In preparations for 2019 municipal elections, several district committees (most notably in Vilnius , Klaipėda and Varėna districts ) decided to form public election committees. The Liberal Movement Board annulled their district committees' decisions. In return,

8874-580: The political map in 1795 after a failed Kościuszko Uprising and short-lived recapture of capital Vilnius in 1794. Most of Lithuania's territory was annexed by the Russian Empire , while Užnemunė  [ lt ] was annexed by Prussia . Following the annexation the Russian Tsarist authorities implemented Russification policies in Lithuania, which then made a part of a new administrative region Northwestern Krai . In 1812 Napoleon during

8976-466: The prime ministerial candidate of Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats (TS-LKD) Ingrida Šimonytė formed a centre-right coalition with two liberal parties. The President of Lithuania is the head of state of the country, elected to a five-year term in a majority vote. Elections take place on the last Sunday no more than two months before the end of current presidential term. To be eligible for election, candidates must be at least 40 years old on

9078-518: The reestablishment of an independent Lithuania. The Great Seimas of Vilnius was held in 1905 and its participants has adopted resolutions which demanded a wide autonomy for Lithuania. During World War I the German Empire annexed Lithuanian territories from the Russian Empire and they became a part of Ober Ost . In 1907, the Lithuanians organized the Vilnius Conference which adopted

9180-524: The summer congress of the Liberal Movement in the last week of June 2013. Guoga was second in the list of the Lithuanian Liberal Movement in the elections to the European Parliament 2014, and was elected as the MEP with 97,907 votes ending on top of the list. After the corruption allegations of Eligijus Masiulis , Guoga became a temporary chairman of the Liberal Movement. After public criticism by

9282-402: The true meaning of the name is unknown and scholars still debate it. There are a few plausible versions. Since Lietuva has a suffix (- uva ), there should be a corresponding original word with no suffix. A likely candidate is Lietā . Because many Baltic ethnonyms originated from hydronyms , linguists have searched for its origin among local hydronyms. Usually, such names evolved through

9384-536: Was elected on 26 May 2019 by unanimously winning in all municipalities of Lithuania in the second election round. He was re-elected in 2024, winning more than 74% of the run-off votes. The judges of the Constitutional Court ( Konstitucinis Teismas ) serve nine-year terms. The court is renewed by a third every three years. The judges are appointed by the Seimas, on the nomination of the President, Chairman of

9486-895: Was a founding inductee into the Australian Poker Hall of Fame . In May of that year, he had a third-place finish in the European High Roller Championship at the EPT in Monte Carlo for € 420,000. On 23 February 2010, in Vilnius , Guoga established the Lithuanian Poker Federation. Tony G occasionally plays high-stakes cash game poker. In 2018, he took part in the PartyPoker "The Big Game" High Stake PLO cash game alongside poker pros like Isildur1 , Sam Trickett and casino owner, Rob Yong . In October 2019, Guoga had

9588-524: Was chosen as the Lithuanian representative in the POLITICO 28 list. The European affairs weekly newspaper chose one person from each of the European Union's 28 member-states who is "shaping, shaking and stirring Europe." Guoga was elected as the vice-chairman of the European Parliament delegation to Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, appointed as a member of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly ,

9690-699: Was crowned as the Catholic King of Lithuania . Moreover by taking advantage of the weakened territory of the former Kievan Rus' due to the Mongol invasion , Mindaugas incorporated Black Ruthenia into Lithuania. After Mindaugas' assassination in 1263, pagan Lithuania was again a target of the Christian crusades of the Teutonic Knights and Livonian Order . Traidenis during his reign (1269–1282) reunified all Lithuanian lands and achieved military successes against

9792-569: Was deciding how to play his hand before the flop. When Perry called Tony G's all-in with a worse hand (K-J), Tony G proceeded to ridicule and lecture him. Tony's comments were so scathing that it prompted commentator Gabe Kaplan to quip "I think Tony G is speaking more like a Lithuanian than an Australian" and "Tony G could single-handedly reignite the Cold War ". Guoga was more respectful of some other players, such as Doyle Brunson , calling Doyle his idol after eliminating him. In November 2006, he won

9894-500: Was elected to the Labour Party Group in the Lithuanian national parliament: the Seimas, Main areas of engagement: Legislation and parliamentary scrutiny Activities: Law-making, including consideration of draft legal acts, assessment of legislative proposals and submission of conclusions to the Seimas, drawing of conclusions regarding international treaties of the Republic of Lithuania and other foreign policy matters considered by

9996-609: Was founded in 2006 by dissident members of the Liberal and Centre Union that were unhappy with Artūras Zuokas 's leadership. In the summer of 2006, the Liberal Movement started cooperating with the Homeland Union (as the Liberal and Centre Union) before joining the Kirkilas Cabinet . In the 2007 municipal elections the party received 4.66 per cent of the national vote. In the legislative elections of 2008 it gained 11 seats in

10098-458: Was one of the organisers of programming clubs for 7–17 years old youth in the country. For four years in a row, 2015, 2016 and 2017 he organized the biggest ICT and entrepreneurship event in the Baltics #SWITCH! This event in 4 years has grown by 60% from 6000 participants in 2015 to 15000 in 2018. About 200 speakers from 16 countries already participated in the event. Among them was Vice-President of

10200-517: Was organized which unified the Klaipėda Region with Lithuania. The 1926 Lithuanian coup d'état replaced the democratically elected government and president with an authoritarian regime led by Antanas Smetona . In the late 1930s Lithuania has accepted the 1938 Polish ultimatum , 1939 German ultimatum and transferred the Klaipėda Region to Nazi Germany and following the beginning of

10302-546: Was the largest country in Europe. In 1386, the Grand Duchy entered into a de facto personal union with the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland . The two realms were united into the bi-confederal Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1569, forming one of the largest and most prosperous states in Europe. The Commonwealth lasted more than two centuries, until neighbouring countries gradually dismantled it between 1772 and 1795, with

10404-713: Was the national basketball team's manager from 2010 until 2012 and served as the vice-president of the Lithuanian Basketball Federation . He was also the main sponsor of BC Prienai , a professional basketball club. In 2014, Guoga became the vice-president of the Lithuanian Rowing Federation. Guoga is director and CEO of Cypherpunk Holdings. On 30 September 2021 Tony Guoga announced that Cypherpunk Holdings has acquired two million shares of Animoca Brands for approximately $ 2.055 million Canadian dollars. In November 2017 an investigation conducted by

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