Vaida Aleknavičienė

Vaida Aleknavičienė was born on 1976-08-10 in the town of Joniškis, Lithuania.

Aleknavičienė is married to Tomas, and they have four children: Arnas, Ugnė, Markas, and Marta.

Aleknavičienė is divorced, which is why her asset disclosures do not include any spousal property.

As of 2022, she has been pursuing doctoral studies in social work at the University of Lapland (Finland).

She earned a master’s degree in social work from Mykolas Romeris University, completing the program in 2021.

After becoming a Seimas member in late 2024, Aleknavičienė’s base salary as an MP was approximately €4,000 per month net (take-home pay), reflecting a significant raise in parliamentary pay that took effect for the 2024–2028 term.

She lectured at Mykolas Romeris University in 2022–2024, prior to joining the Parliament.

From 2000 until 2024, she served as a teacher and project manager at Joniškis Agricultural School.

She worked as an English teacher at Šiaulių Medelynas Secondary School from 1998 to 2000.

After entering Parliament, she became a member of the Social Democratic Party’s parliamentary faction in the Seimas.

She was initially designated to become Minister of Culture in late 2024 but was compelled to step aside due to a coalition portfolio swap.

Since 2017, she has been the chairperson of the LSDP’s Joniškis district branch.

Aleknavičienė served as a member of the Joniškis District Municipal Council from 2015 until 2023, during which she concurrently held the post of Vice-Mayor. After the 2023 municipal elections, she was reappointed as Joniškis Vice-Mayor, but due to a legal reform that year, she had to relinquish her newly won council mandate upon taking the vice-mayoral office.

Aleknavičienė has been a member of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP) since 2006.

In 2024, Aleknavičienė was elected to the Seimas (Parliament) for the 2024–2028 term, representing the Žiemgalos vakarinė single-member constituency (No. 46).

In the 2024 Seimas elections, she won the Žiemgalos vakarinė (No. 46) single-member constituency outright in the first round by securing a majority of votes, so a runoff was not needed. A recount was held due to the very slim margin of victory, which confirmed her win.

In the 2024 Seimas elections, she won the Žiemgalos vakarinė single-member constituency (No. 46) in the first round with about 39.55% of the vote, narrowly defeating her closest rival, Saulius Bucevičius of the "Nemuno Aušra" party. The vote difference was under 50, which triggered a recount that upheld Aleknavičienė’s victory.

In the 2024 Seimas elections, Aleknavičienė was listed as number 32 on the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party’s national candidate list, in addition to running in (and winning) the Žiemgalos vakarinė single-member constituency.

According to her 2024 asset disclosure, she declared roughly €91,000 in total assets. This included a 170 m² residential house in Joniškis (built in 1977, acquired 2010) valued at about €40,000, land parcels worth ~€2,000, a car worth ~€3,000, and around €46,000 in savings.

In 2023, Aleknavičienė declared a total annual income of €70,100 (before taxes), of which about €2,800 came from self-employed activities.

Her annual asset declarations from 2021 through 2024 show a consistent rise in net worth driven mainly by increased savings, which is in line with her income. For instance, she declared about €12,000 in savings in 2021, €22,000 in 2022, and €41,000 in 2023, while her gross income in 2023 was reported at €70,100 (including ~€2,800 from self-employment), indicating that her wealth growth has been commensurate with earnings (with no sudden unexplained jumps).

Her personal savings grew rapidly in recent years – from about €12,000 in 2021 to €22,000 in 2022 and €41,000 in 2023. Consequently, her total declared assets increased from roughly €58,500 in 2021 to €68,500 in 2022, and about €87,000 in 2023.

As Joniškis District Vice-Mayor (2015–2024), her salary was roughly around €1,500 per month net (approximately €2,200 gross), which is a typical pay level for vice-mayors in Lithuanian municipalities.

In 2019–2024, she served as a representative in “Platforma,” a coalition of European city and regional associations within the EU.

She was an alternate member of the European Committee of the Regions from 2019 to 2023.

From 2016 to 2024, she was a member of the monitoring committee for the Latvia–Lithuania Cross-border Cooperation Programme.

She led the Joniškis City Local Action Group (community development initiative) from 2015 to 2024.

She chaired the Joniškis District Youth Affairs Council between 2015 and 2024.

She was the dean of the English faculty of the Third Age University in Joniškis and lectured there on a volunteer basis (2014–2024).

She has been a member of the Rotary Club in Joniškis since 2003.

In the Seimas, she served as Deputy Chair of the informal “Šiaulių Region Friends” group of MPs.

According to her 2024 public asset declaration, Aleknavičienė owned a house valued at about €40,000, a land parcel (~€2,000), a vehicle (~€3,000), and had approximately €46,000 in savings.

She obtained a PRINCE2 Foundation project management certification in 2023.

Her declared personal savings grew significantly from around €9,000 in 2020 to about €46,000 by 2024.