Valdus Adamkus, of Hinsdale, Ill., who won Lithuania’s presidency this week, said Friday that he will give up his U.S. citizenship.
“The rest of my life will be devoted to Lithuania,” said Adamkus, 71, after the central elections commission confirmed his victory.
Adamkus was born in Lithuania but fled as a teenager as the country was forcibly absorbed into the Soviet Union. He went to Germany, then the U.S., where he obtained an engineering degree. He retired in 1996 as top administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Chicago region. Adamkus was granted Lithuanian citizenship in 1992. Adamkus was second behind Arturas Paulauskas in the first round of voting, but the two were forced into a runoff. Adamkus edged Paulauskas on Sunday by 14,256 votes.
Adamkus is to be inaugurated Feb. 25, succeeding Algirdas Brazauskas, who did not seek re-election. He is a strong supporter of Lithuania’s drive to become a member of NATO and the European Union.
