Juozas Olekas | |
|---|---|
 | |
| First Deputy Speaker of the Seimas | |
| Assumed office 14 November 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Jurgis Razma |
| Member of the European Parliament | |
| In office 2 July 2019 –15 July 2024 | |
| Constituency | Lithuania |
| Minister of National Defence | |
| In office 13 December 2012 –13 December 2016 | |
| Prime Minister | Algirdas Butkevičius |
| Preceded by | Rasa Juknevičienė |
| Succeeded by | Raimundas Karoblis |
| In office 4 July 2006 –9 December 2008 | |
| Prime Minister | Gediminas Kirkilas |
| Preceded by | Gediminas Kirkilas |
| Succeeded by | Rasa Juknevičienė |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 30 October 1955 Bolshoy Ungut,Soviet Union (now Russia) |
| Political party | Social Democratic Party |
| Alma mater | Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Vilnius University |
Juozas Olekas (born 30 October 1955) is a Lithuanian surgeon and politician,a former Minister of National Defence,from 2006 to 2008. In 1990 and from 2003 to 2004 he also served as the Health Minister. In 2019 he was elected to the European Parliament. [1]
Olekas studied at Kaunas Institute of Medicine from 1974 to 1976,and at Vilnius University from 1976 to 1980.
Between 1994 and 1997 he was a chief physician at the Vilnius University hospital.
Olekas is married to Aurelija Olekienė,they have two daughters.
Olekas was Vilija Blinkevičiūtė's main competitor in the 2021 Social Democratic Party of Lithuania leadership election,finishing second with 44% of the vote.
As of 2 August 2025 he is seen as one of the most likely candidates (together with Mindaugas Sinkevičius,Robert Duchnevich and Inga Ruginienė) to replace former Prime minister Gintautas Paluckas.
