So, do we think Tony G will tell a political opponent in Parliament to “get on his bike” after a debate? We can only hope. This week, Antanas Guoga, best known to poker fans as Tony G, was elected to European Parliament after voting concluded in his native country of Lithuania.
The election took place on Sunday as nearly 45 percent of eligible voters visited the polls. Eleven seats were up for grabs in Lithuania; Tony G’s Liberal Movement Party garnered 16.5 percent of the vote, which earned the party two seats, one more than in the 2009 election. The party’s goals, as stated on its website, are, “…fair-minded Lithuania, educated Lithuania and wealthy Lithuania. Our supreme value is a dignified person – all state system must serve him. Person’s dignity and welfare will be ensured by high standards of living, as well as by freedom of creativity and civil initiatives.”
This has been a bit of a whirlwind run for Guoga, as he only made his candidacy known in October, when he posted the following on his blog:
I have packed up the bike and I am going to EU parliament in Brussels to change Lithuania. I made second in the list as a candidate for the Liberal Party and am really happy. This result leaves me well positioned for next year. The Liberal Party has set a goal during the European parliamentary election to fight hard for two seats. Currently, the Liberal Movement in the European Parliament has one representative so there is a lot of hard work ahead of me.
I believe that Lithuanian politics needs new people and new blood and I want to be in a position to change policy and I qualify as “new blood.”
He was of course overjoyed when he won, writing, “Today we made history in Lithuanian politics – for the first time Liberals have won two seats in the European Parliament. My sincere thanks go to all the voters, those who supported and helped me along the way!”
The transition from poker pro to politician should be interesting for Guoga. He was never known to be someone to withhold his opinion at the poker table, earning the label as a “bad boy.” He has always been a polarizing character; some people love his over-the-top antics, some people which he would just shut his mouth and play poker. You never know, though, that mouth might serve him well in battling with other members of Parliament over the issues for which he is most passionate.
It remains to be seen if Tony G will continue playing poker, though we could probably assume he won’t be playing nearly as much as he used to. According to his profile at TheHendonMob.com, he has over $4.8 million in career earnings, ranking him 110th on the all-time money list.
