Lithuanian Prime Minister Paluckas resigns following protests
The country's president, Gitanas Nauseda, announced Paluckas' resignation to the media on Thursday morning.
Paluckas confirmed the news in a statement sent by his Social Democrat Party.
Paluckas ascended to the role late last year after a three-party coalition formed following parliamentary elections in October.
His resignation is now likely to bring down the whole government, with his cabinet expected to also resign. New coalition talks are expected to start soon.
Paluckas has faced scandals over his business dealings, including some that occurred more than a decade ago. Media investigations revealed that he had never paid a significant part of a 16,500-euro ($19,000) fine after he was convicted in 2012 of mishandling the bidding process for the capital Vilnius's rat extermination services.
Paluckas, at the time, was Vilnius's municipal administration director, and judges ruled that he had abused his official position by illegally granting privileges to the company that offered the highest bid.
He was sentenced to two years in prison but was ultimately not imprisoned.
Since the media investigations, Lithuania's anticorruption and law enforcement agencies have also launched their probes into Paluckas.
He has denied any wrongdoing and instead called the attacks on his business dealings parts of a 'coordinated attack' by political opponents.
The resignation of the prime minister comes only weeks before a planned joint military exercise between Lithuania's neighbours, Russia and Belarus, highlighting the precarious position the country finds itself in.
In May, Lithuania initiated legal proceedings against Belarus at the International Court of Justice, after it accused the latter of being behind a wave of 'illegal migration' into the country.
Lithuania is a member of NATO and was formerly part of the Soviet Union, becoming the first republic to declare independence in 1990, before the world power's collapse the following year.
Nauseda, Lithuania's president, has been a strong supporter of Ukraine, and the Baltic country has long been fearful of Russian expansionism.
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