Paluckas served as Deputy Mayor of Vilnius from 2015 to 2019, as the leader of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP) from 2017 to 2021 and has been a member of the Seimas since the 2020 election.
[1] The inclusion of the Dawn of Nemunas in the ruling coalition sparked controversy and condemnation from human rights organizations and Lithuania's Jewish community.
[4] During the peak of the 2015 European migrant crisis, he proposed that the city consider forming Arabic-language kindergarten groups to accommodate incoming refugees.
[10] In 2017 Paluckas won the leadership election of the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania after defeating then-Minister of Economy Mindaugas Sinkevičius in a run-off.
He finished third in the single-member constituency of Utena,[28] and Paluckas secured a seat in the Seimas through the proportional representation system, drawing on his position in the LSDP's candidate list.
However, at the press conference, she cited personal considerations, including age and health, as factors influencing her decision to step back from the role.
He confirmed plans to continue discussions with political groups previously dismissed by Blinkevičiūtė, including the nationalist Dawn of Nemunas Party.
Paluckas has also been a vocal advocate for digital innovation and modernization within government services, aiming to improve efficiency and accessibility for all citizens.
[35] On 31 October, Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė stated that Paluckas lacks sufficient experience within the executive branch.
Šimonytė further commented that Paluckas has limited experience, predominantly gained while working in the Vilnius city municipality administration.
[36] On 30 October, Speaker of the Seimas Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen expressed that Blinkevičiūtė's nomination decision was unacceptable, as it undermines the trust in commitments made during the electoral campaign.
Paluckas was also praised by Remigijus Motuzas, speaking for the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania, stating that "with his persistent work in the Seimas during the last parliamentary term, he has clearly demonstrated that, even in opposition, it is possible to do a lot of things and to implement one's own priorities".
[38] On 21 November, Paluckas was nominated as the Prime Minister by the Seimas, with 88 votes in favor – all members of parliament of the coalition, as well as Artūras Zuokas and Vitalijus Šeršniovas.
[40] In February 2018, the Central Electoral Commission investigated claims that Gintautas Paluckas's brother Danas, then serving on the Palanga City Council, had been convicted of a crime in Italy in 2006 but had failed to declare this fact when running for office.
Later in 2018 it was revealed by the State Security Department of Lithuania that the MG Baltic business group had fabricated the Italy story as disinformation in order to smear Gintautas Paluckas by association, allegedly because the company was dissatisfied with his leadership of the LSDP.
From January 2021 Tučkė worked full-time for Paluckas and 25%-time for Bičiūnas; at the same time, she served as a member of the Palanga City Council.
[45] In November 2024, the Baltic News Service (BNS) published investigations into the companies Garnis and Emus, both jointly owned by Paluckas and Mindaugas Milašauskas.
[47] The reports emerged shortly after Paluckas had announced his intention to normalize China-Lithuania relations, which had been severed by China due to the previous Lithuanian government's support for opening a Taiwanese Representative Office in Vilnius.