Lithuania is a country located in Eastern Europe, more specifically a part of the Baltic region of Europe, it is bordered with Latvia, Belarus, Poland, and Russia’s Kaliningrad Oblast exclave. It also has a coast along the Baltic Sea facing Sweden. Its capital city Vilnius is located close to the Belarusian border.
The earliest peoples to have been in the area were hunter-gatherers such as the Kunda, Neman, and Narva who appeared after the last glacial period in the 10th Millennium BC. The climate eventually allowed limited settlement and by the 3rd millennium BC agriculture begun to emerge, with crafts and trades following not long after. Indo-Europeans arrived between the 3rd and 2nd Millennium BC and mixed with the local peoples, forming a number of Baltic tribes.
These early tribes did not have close cultural and political contacts with the Roman Empire, but did maintain other beneficial trade contacts, such as through the ancient Amber Road.
From the 9th to 11th Centuries, coastal Balts faced frequent raids from the Vikings, and the tribes also likely paid tributes to the larger surrounding powers of the time. But by the mid-12th Century, the peoples in the area of Lithuania begun invading Ruthenian territories, and by the late 12th Century an organised military existed, often used for external raiding, plundering, and taking of slaves.
An eventual struggle for power within what is today Lithuania led to the formation of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and by 1219 many of the disparate Lithuanian tribes had been united into it. Mindaugas became the first known Grand Duke, who was later baptized as a Roman Catholic in 1251 and crowned as King of Lithuania in 1253, creating the short-lived Kingdom of Lithuania, he would be the only Christian King of the land.
The Kingdom would end after the assassination of Mindaugas in 1263 and Lithuania went back to being a pagan Grand Duchy, which made it a target of Christian crusades from the Teutonic Knights and Livonian Order. Despite these incursions, the Grand Duchy managed to rapidly expand its territory, and overtook former Ruthenian principalities of the Kievan Rus’.
In 1362/63, Grand Duke Algirdas saw a decisive victory over the Golden Horde in the Battle of Blue Waters stopping its further expansion into present-day Ukraine, and brought a large part of modern-day Ukraine under the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and also made it a direct neighbor and rival of the Grand Duchy of Moscow. By the end of the 14th Century the Grand Duchy of Lithuania had become one of Europe’s largest territories, including present-day Lithuania, as well as present-day Ukraine, Belarus, and parts of what is today Poland and Russia.
In 1385, Grand Duke Jogaila accepted Poland’s offer to become its King (through marriage), creating a personal union between the two (Union of Krewo), he also gradually Christianized Lithuania, making it one of the last remaining pagan states to become Christian. Two civil wars saw Vytautas the Great become Grand Duke of Lithuania in 1392, and its territory reached its peak during this time, and the state begun to be centralized, and the nobility of Lithuania became increasingly a part of state politics.
In 1399 Vytautas alongside Tokhtamysh suffered a defeat against the Golden Horde, causing the Grand Duchy to lose territory, including access to the Black Sea, with Vytautas barely escaping with his life. It also stopped Vytautas from breaking the personal union with Poland, which he had planned on doing. Continued close cooperation between Lithuania and Poland did allow them victory over the Teutonic Knights in 1410.
In 1429, the Congress of Lutsk gave Vytautas the title of King of Lithuania with the backing of Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, but Polish magnates prevented delivery of the crown in 1430. Another crown was sent, by Vytautas died before he could officially be crowned King.
With Jogalia and Vytautas dead, Lithuanian nobility tried to break the personal union with Poland, including by independently choosing Grand Dukes from the Jagiellonian Dynasty. But by the end of the 15th Century, Lithuania was once again forced to seek a closer alliance with Poland due to the threat from the growing power of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, which would lead to the Muscovite-Lithuanian Wars, and also the Livonian War. In 1514 the Polish and Lithuanian armies did achieve a major victory over the Muscovites, despite sources claiming that their armies were massively outnumbered by the Muscovites, nonetheless it showed the importance of their alliance to remain.
The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was officially formed in 1569 via the Union of Lublin, with a statute allowing Lithuania to retain its own institutions, separate army, currency, and statutory laws. Nonetheless Polonization did affect all aspects of Lithuanian life, such as politics, language, culture, and national identity. The Mid-16th and Mid-17th centuries saw culture, arts, and education expand, helped by the Rennaissance and Protestant Reformation.
From 1573, the Kings of Poland and the Grand Dukes of Lithuania would be elected by the nobility, who were granted ever increasing powers (Golden Liberties), with such liberties, especially the liberum veto, eventually leading to anarchy (as well as the wars at the time), causing the dissolution of the state.
The Commonwealth would see its golden age in the 17th Century, the noble-dominated Parliament refused to get involved in the Thirty Years’ War, allowing it to avoid the devastations from such a war that much of contemporary Europe was subjected to. The Commonwealth also held up against Sweden, the Tsardom of Russia, and the vassals of the Ottoman Empire during the time, and also launched expansionist offensives against its neighbors that were successful.
But this golden age would not last. In 1655 during the Polish-Russo War, Lithuania saw its capital Vilnius taken by a foreign army for the first time in history. The Russian Army looted the city and thousands of civilians were killed, and the city burned for 17-days. The Russian occupation of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania lasted until 1661. But the Northern Wars during the time also saw the Grand Duchy occupied by the Swedish Army, as well as the Russians, devastating the territory and economy of the state. The period was known as The Deluge.
And then even after that before Lithuania could fully recover, the Great Northern War from 1700 ravaged the state. This war, as well as a plague and famine, led to 40% of the state’s population dying. Foreign powers, most notably the Russian Empire, became dominant within the domestic politics of the Commonwealth. Factions of the Commonwealth nobility also used their Golden Liberties to prevent desperately needed reform.
In 1791 a new Constitution was adopted in an attempt to save the state, designed to fix the Commonwealth’s political defects caused by the Golden Liberties, which had corrupted politics over time, it also sought to create a more democratic constitutional monarchy to end anarchy, and sought to introduce political equality between civilians and nobility to prevent abuses of Serfdom, and also sought to ban the dreaded liberum veto, which basically allowed nobles to easily revoke legislation.
The Commonwealth would though be partitioned, in 1772, 1792, and 1795, being split between the Russian Empire, Prussia, and the Habsburg Monarchy. The largest area of Lithuanian territory came under the Russian Empire. There were unsuccessful uprisings against Russian rule in 1831 and 1863, which caused Russia to implement Russification policies. The Third Statute of Lithuania was abolished, the Lithuanian Press was banned, and cultural and educational institutions were closed, and Lithuania became a new administrative region of the Russian Empire called Northwestern Krai.
Despite the efforts though, the Russification failed, thanks to Lithuanian book smuggling and secret Lithuanian home schooling. While under Russian rule, Simonas Daukantas, and others, helped to promote a return to Lithuania’s Pre-Commonwealth traditions, which would help build a Lithuanian National Revival, helping to lay the foundations for a modern Lithuanian nation and its independence.
During World War I, the Great Retreat would lead to Lithuania coming under the occupation of the German Empire, and Lithuania was incorporated into a new administrative entity called Ober Ost, which included parts of other occupied territories. Lithuanians lost all their political rights, with personal freedom restricted. Nonetheless Lithuanian intelligentsia looked to exploit the current geopolitical situation to find an opportunity to restore Lithuanian independence.
In September 1917 the Vilnius Conference elected the Council of Lithuania who adopted an Act of Independence in February 1918. The capitulation of Germany in 1918 led to the first provisional constitution being adopted and the first government being organised. During this time it fought three wars of independence, one against the Bolsheviks who had proclaimed Lithuania as a Soviet Socialist Republic, one against the Bermontians, and another against Poland. In 1921 Lithuania joined the League of Nations.
In December 1926 a military coup overthrew the democratic government and Lithuania transformed into an authoritarian regime, adopting a new constitution that consolidated presidential powers. Opposition was slowly banned and censorship became commonplace. Dissent and unrest would be cruelly suppressed.
During World War 2, and due to rising tensions, Nazi Germany gave Lithuania an ultimatum to relinquish the Klaipeda Region (which it had lost under the Versailles Treaty), Lithuania accepted the ultimatum. The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact between the Nazis and Soviets initially assigned Lithuania to the German sphere, but this switched to the Soviet sphere. Lithuania declared itself neutral during WW2.
Despite neutrality the Soviets forced Lithuania to allow them to build Soviet bases and station 20,000 troops in the country for the war, in return Lithuania got Vilnius back which the Soviets had annexed from Poland (who had annexed it from Lithuania during the Polish-Lithuanian War). After the Soviets humiliation in the Winter War against Finland, the Soviets eventually demanded a change of government in Lithuania and for the Red Army to be allowed to enter, Lithuania having little choice allowed the Soviets to march in and annex them into the Soviet Union, Latvia and Estonia would also be annexed. Lithuania, along with the other Baltic states, were transformed into Soviet Socialist Republics, through many reforms, forced deportations to Siberia where many died, as well as other harshness.
The occupation was not recognised by Western powers, and the Lithuanian Diplomatic Service represented Lithuania as an independent state until 1990. When Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, Lithuanian’s begun an anti-Soviet uprising called the June Uprising, and they briefly declared independence before being occupied by Nazi Germany.
During the occupation 10s of thousands of Jews, Poles, and Russians were murdered by the Nazis. After the Nazi retreat the Soviets reestablished control over Lithuania in 1944, and mass deportations continued to Siberia until 1951. All Lithuanian national symbols were also banned, many Lithuanians took part in guerrilla warfare against the Soviets up until 1953. Although partisan resistance was brutally suppressed, the Soviets failed to stop a general movement for independence within Lithuania.
The Helsinki Group played a big role within Lithuania in pushing for independence. Increased openness and transparency from the Soviet glasnost reforms, led to the establishment of the reform movement in Lithuania, which would soon pursue independence. In August 1989 a human chain spanned across the Baltic capitals of Riga, Tallinn, and Vilnius, known as the Baltic Way, indicating their will to break away.
In March 1990 Lithuania’s Supreme Council announced restoration of Lithuania’s independence, becoming the first Soviet-occupied state to announce as such. In response the Soviets imposed an economic blockade lasting for 74 days to try and get them to reverse the decision, but failed. Then in January 1991 the Soviets attempted a coup against the Lithuanian government, hoping it would receive support from the populace due to the poor economic situation, instead it received quite the opposite, with people from all over Lithuania flooding into the capital to defend the Supreme Council and country’s independence, leading to the coup being unsuccessful. 14 civilians were killed and over 700 injured.
The January Events helped Lithuania show the world that it desired independence strongly, it joined the United Nations in September 1991, and with the collapse of the Soviet Union the country’s independence was safeguarded. In October 1992 Lithuania adopted its constitution via a referendum. The last units of the Soviet Army left the country on August 31st 1993. In March 2004 Lithuania joined NATO and the European Union. In January 2015 Lithuania entered the eurozone and adopted the Euro as its currency.
The official language is Lithuanian, the largest religion is Roman Catholic, and the country uses the Euro as its official currency alongside other countries a part of the eurozone. The country’s population is over 2,683,950.
Government Type
Lithuania is a unitary state with a semi-presidential representative democratic republic. This means the country has a President as head of state and a Prime Minister as Head of Government. Legislative Government is made up of a unicameral parliament called the Seimas. Multiple parties are allowed and due to the voting system, coalition governments are typically the result.
The constitution states that significant issues concerning the life of the State and the Nation must be decided by a referendum. The Parliament can announce referendums on things in cases provided for by law. A referendum must also be held if at least 300,000 eligible voters have requested one.
The constitution forbids the country from being divided into any State-like formations. The country’s boundaries can also only be altered by an international treaty of the Republic of Lithuania after it has been ratified by at least four-fifths of all members of the country’s Parliament.
Citizens have the right of petition, with its procedure established by law.
The Executive Government
The President is the country’s Head of State. They are charged with representing the country in its diplomatic and foreign affairs and performing duties and responsibilities given to them by the Constitution and laws of the country. They are also responsible for enforcing the Constitution under their watch, and safeguarding the country’s internal and external security, integrity, and sovereignty.
While the President is in office they must be Independent from political parties and organisation until the beginning of the new campaign for President begins.
Presidential Vacancy or Temporary Absence
If the President has resigned, died, or been removed from Office then the Speaker of the Seimas shall hold the Presidency, they will temporarily lose their powers in the Seimas. A new Presidential election must be called within 10-days and be held within 2-months.
The Speaker of the Seimas also holds the Presidency when the President is temporarily abroad or ill.
While the Speaker holds the presidency, they cannot call early elections for the Seimas, and cannot dismiss or appoint Ministers without the consent of the Seimas. The Seimas during this time cannot issue no-confidence in the Speaker.
Presidential Duties
The President convenes the Seimas for its first session following elections, if he/she fails to within 15-days then the Seimas may convene itself.
The President may call for early elections of the Seimas either due to the Government Programme failing to be adopted or on request of the Government if the Seimas has voted no-confidence in them. The President cannot do this if their term shall expire within 6-months, or if 6-months have not passed since the last early election.
The President may call for extraordinary sessions of the Seimas in cases provided for in the Constitution.
The President decides the basic issues of foreign policy and, alongside the Government, conducts foreign policy.
The President signs international treaties and sends them to the Seimas to be considered for ratification.
Upon submission of the Government, the President appoints and recalls diplomatic representatives; receives letters of credence and recall of diplomatic representatives of foreign states; and confers the highest diplomatic ranks and special titles.
Upon assent of the Seimas, appoints the Prime Minister, charges them to form a Government, and approves its composition.
Upon assent of the Seimas, dismisses the Prime Minister.
Accepts resignations of the Government, and as necessary, charge it to continue exercising its duties or charge one of the Ministers to exercise the duties of Prime Minister until a new Government is formed; also accepts resignations of Ministers and may charge them to continuing exercising their duties until a new Minister is appointed.
Appoints and dismisses Ministers upon submission of the Prime Minister.
Upon resignation of the Government or after it has returned its powers, the President within 15-days submits the candidature of a Prime Minister to the Seimas to be considered.
The President appoints and dismisses state officials, in accordance to established procedure and the law.
The President submit candidatures of justices for the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal to the Seimas for consideration, and on acceptance of their candidatures, appoints their Presidents. Also appoints judges and presidents of regional and local courts. The President is assisted by a special institution of Judges provided for by law on this, as well as on promotions, transfer of Judges, and dismissals.
The President submits the consideration of dismissing a judge/justice to the Seimas, in cases provided for by law.
Upon assent of the Seimas, the President appoints or dismisses the Prosecutor-General.
The President submits three candidatures to the Seimas for the Constitutional Court, and if they are accepted by the Seimas, chooses a President for the court and sends the choice to the Seimas for consideration. The other six Justices are appointed by other officials, three by the Speaker of the Seimas, and three by the President of the Supreme Court. One-third of this court is renewed every 3-years.
The President submits candidatures for the State Controller and the Chairman of the Board of the Bank of Lithuania. The President may submit that the Seimas expresses no-confidence in them.
Upon assent of the Seimas, the President appoints or dismisses the Commander of the Armed Forces and the Head of the Security Service.
The President confers the highest military ranks. The President is the Commander-in-Chief of the country’s armed forces. The Government, Minister of National Defense, and Commander of the Armed Forces, are responsible to the Seimas for administration and command of the armed forces.
In the event of an armed attack which threatens State sovereignty or territorial intergrity, the President adopts decisions concerning defense against such armed aggression, imposition of martial law as well as mobilisation, and submit such decision to the Seimas for approval.
Can declare a State of Emergency according to procedure and cases established by law, and presents the decision to the Seimas for approval.
The President makes annual reports to the Seimas on the situation in Lithuania and the domestic and foreign policies of the Nation.
The President can grant citizenship to the Republic according to procedure established by law.
The President may grant pardons to convicted persons.
The President issues acts and decrees, to implement powers vested within him by the Constitution, many of the decrees (specifically those mentioned in Items 3, 15, 17, and 21 of Article 84, covering appointing and recalling diplomatic representatives, conferring highest military ranks, declaration of State of Emergency, and granting citizenship), must be countersigned by the Prime Minister or appropriate Minister to have effect, as well as meeting the other specified requirements. Responsibility shall then lie entirely with the Prime Minister or Minister who countersigned such decrees.
Prime Minister and Government
The executive Government is made up of the Prime Minister as Head of Government and the other Ministers, who are appointed by the President on proposal of the Prime Minister and consent of the Seimas. The Prime Minister is appointed by the President following elections of the Seimas with the consent of the Seimas, can also be dismissed by the President with consent of the Seimas.
The Prime Minister represents the Government and heads its activities. When the Prime Minister is temporarily unavailable, the President, upon submission of the Prime Minister, charges one of the Ministers to act as Prime Minister for no longer than 60-days. If the Prime Minister made no submission, then the President uses their own judgement to charge a Minister with acting as Prime Minister.
Within 15-days of appointment, the Prime Minister shall present the Government they have formed to the Seimas after approval of the President, and will also present its programme to the Seimas for consideration. If the Seimas gives its confidence by a majority vote then the new Government shall receive its power to act.
The Prime Minister and Government must maintain the confidence of the Seimas to remain in power.
The Prime Minister and members of Government form the Cabinet, the highest executive decision-making body. The Cabinet resolves affairs of State governance by adopting resolutions via majority votes. Government resolutions are signed by the Prime Minister and a Minister of a corresponding branch to have effect.
Ministers head their respective Ministries, resolving issues under their competence, and discharge other functions provided for by law. Only another Government member appointed by the Prime Minister can temporarily substitute for a Minister.
The Government is jointly responsible to the Seimas for general activities of the Government. Ministers, in directing branches of administration entrusted to them, are responsible to the Seimas, President, and directly subordinate to the Prime Minister.
If the Seimas requests, the Government or individual Ministers must give an account of their activities to the Seimas. If more than half of the Ministers of Government are changed, then the Government must receive its powers again from a majority vote of the Seimas, if they fail to the Government must resign.
The Government must also resign if they fail two times in succession to get assent to the programme of the newly-formed Government from the Seimas; if the Seimas, by a majority of all members, votes no-confidence in the Government or Prime Minister; if the Prime Minister resigns or dies; and naturally after elections to the Seimas, and the formation of a new Government.
A Minister must resign from Government if the Seimas, by more than half of all members, votes no-confidence in them.
The Government has many jobs including, administering affairs of the country, protecting inviolability of the territory, guaranteeing State security and public order; executes the laws and resolutions passed by the Seimas and the decrees of the President; coordinates activities of the Ministries and other establishments of Government; prepares a draft State Budget and submits it to the Seimas for approval; executes the State Budget and submits its reports of the execution to the Seimas; prepares draft laws and presents them to the Seimas; and establishes diplomatic ties and maintains relations with foreign states and international organisations.
The Legislative Government
The Seimas is the countries unicameral Parliament, which means the Parliament is a single chamber. Currently the Parliament is constitutionally locked to having 141 elected members, although this may be reduced in a further constitutional amendment in the future. The purpose of the Seimas is to consider and debate introduced legislative bills and other issues, possibly amend legislation, and either pass or reject such legislation. The Seimas also conducts oversight of the Prime Minister and Government, and determines if the Prime Minister and Government has their confidence or not.
Legislation can be introduced by members of the Seimas, the President-of-the-Republic, and the Government. At least 50,000 eligible voters may also submit a draft law to the Seimas which must be considered by the Seimas.
Legislation passed by the Seimas goes on to the President of the Republic to be signed into law within 10-days. The President may decide to refer the bill back to the Seimas for a second consideration, giving relevant reasons for why. If the Seimas accepts the changes proposed then the President must sign the bill into law, if they are rejected and the original bill is passed with a one-half majority (or a 3/5 majority in the case of a constitutional bill) then the President must sign it into law.
The President must sign into law an act or law that has been adopted by referendum, within 5-days. If a law adopted by the Seimas or by referendum fails to be signed within the specified time and has not be referred back, then the Speaker of the Seimas must sign it into law instead.
Early elections of the Seimas can be held before the 4-year mark. An early election can be triggered by at least a three-fifths majority vote of the members of the Seimas. Early elections may also be announced by the President-of-the-Republic if the Seimas fails to adopt a decision on the new programme of Government within 30-days of its presentation, or if the Seimas twice in succession gives no assent to the Government programme within 60-days of its presentation.
Early elections can also be announced by the President on the proposal of the Government if the Seimas has expressed no-confidence in it.
The President cannot announce early elections if they have 6-months remaining in office, or if 6-months have not passed since the last early elections. When early elections are called they must be held within 3-months.
Members of the Seimas have the right to submit an inquiry to the Prime Minister, the Ministers, and the heads of other State institutions formed or elected by the Seimas. The persons must respond orally or in writing during the session of the Seimas according to the established procedure. A group of no less than one-fifth of the members of the Seimas may direct an interpellation to the Prime Minister or a Minister.
Members, upon considering the response of the Prime Minister or Minister to the interpellation, may decide the response is not satisfactory, by majority vote of at least half of all members of the Seimas, may express no-confidence in the Prime Minister or a Minister.
Extraordinary sessions of the Seimas can be called by the Speaker of the Seimas on the proposal of at least one-third of all members, for by the President-of-the-Republic in cases provided for by the Constitution.
There is a Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Seimas, their job is to enforce the Seimas rules and adopted procedure and to maintain order within the debates and sessions. The first session following elections is presided over by the eldest member before a Speaker and Deputy Speaker is elected. The Speaker and Deputy Speaker must preside and represent the Seimas in an impartial manner.
Other Jobs of the Seimas – Including Presidential Removal
As well as considering legislation and debating, the Seimas can also do other things. They can consider and adopt amendments to the Constitution; adopt resolutions on holding a referendum; call regular elections of the country’s Presidency; can establish State institutions provided for by law and appoint and dismiss their heads; gives assent to the candidature of the Prime Minister submitted by the President; considers the Programme of Government from the newly formed Government; establishes and abolishes Ministries on proposal of the Government; appoints justices and Presidents of the Constitutional Court and Supreme Court; appoint and dismiss the State Controller and the Chairman of the Board of the Bank of Lithuania; call regular elections of municipal councils; form the Central Electoral Commission and alter its composition; approve State Budget and supervise it; establish state taxes and other compulsory payments; ratify and denounce international treaties and consider other issues of foreign policy; establish administrative division of the Republic; and issue acts of amnesty.
The Seimas shall also impose direct rule, martial law, and a state of emergency, declare mobilisation, and adopt a decision to use the armed forces, during such extraordinary times that may require these measures.
If the President of the Republic calls early elections for the Seimas, then the newly elected Seimas can by a vote of at least three-fifths of all members within 30-days of the first session, call for early Presidential elections. The sitting President can run again in such an election, if they are re-elected it shall be deemed their second term if three years had passed already in their first term, if not then the President would only be elected for the remainder of the first term. If early elections happen during the sitting President’s second term and they are re-elected, then they can only serve out the remainder of that existing term.
The Seimas may also conduct impeachment proceedings against various officials that may result in their removal from office. This includes the President of the Republic, the judges and presidents of the Constitutional Court, Supreme Court, and Court of Appeal, or members of the Seimas themselves. This is if down to constitutional violation, breach of oath, or if the individual in question has commit a crime.
The President may also be removed from office on health grounds, on this the Constitutional Court will release a conclusion on the President’s health to be considered by the Seimas, if the Seimas votes by a three-fifths majority to remove the President on health grounds, he/she shall be removed.
The Electoral System
Presidential elections take place every 5-years. Election of the President uses two-round absolute majority where candidates must get an absolute majority to win outright in the first round, otherwise a second round is held between the top two candidates and is won via simple majority.
If less than half of all voters participate in the election then the number needed would be one-third of all voters who voted to win outright in first round.
Candidates for President must be a citizen of the country from birth, has been living in the country actively for at least 3-years, must be not less than 40-years-old, and also match the Seimas requirements. To become a candidate, one must collect at least 20,000 signatures from eligible voters. One person cannot serve more than two consecutive terms at once.
Parliamentary elections for the Seimas take place every 4-years to elect its members. Members are elected in a mixed system that uses open-list proportional representation to elect 70 members from a single nationwide constituency, the electoral threshold for this is 5% for parties or 7% for coalitions to be guaranteed seats. The other 71 members are elected from single-seat constituencies using a run-off system, a candidate needs a specified majority to win in the 1st round, otherwise a 2nd round is held between the top two candidates.
To be elected as a member one must be a citizen, with no foreign allegiance, and who is not younger than 25-years of age, and permanently reside in Lithuania, at the time of election.
Member’s duties are incompatible with any other duties of State institution and organisation as well as with work in business, commercial, and other private establishments or enterprises. Members are also exempt from the duty to perform the national defense service. A member may be appointed as Prime Minister or a Minister of Government while also remaining a member of the Seimas.
The largest party or coalition after parliamentary elections determines who will be appointed Prime Minister by the President to form a Government.
To vote in elections one must be a citizen and at least 18-years-old.
Sources
The source for this comes from Lithuania’s 1992 Constitution with amendments through to 2006 and so should as up to date as possible, an attempt at constitutional amendment for dual citizenship and to reduce the number of MPs in the Seimas was made in 2019 but both failed pass in a referendum. Cross-research is still suggested for those using this seriously as mistakes are possible, I may have missed some things, and the constitution can always be amended in the future and so this post may become outdated.
Constitutional amendments are proposed by at least one-fourth of all members of the Seimas or by petition of at least 300k eligible voters. Passage of such requires a two-thirds majority in the Seimas in each of two readings three months apart and the signature of the President. Amendments to articles on national sovereignty and constitutional amendment procedure also requires a three-fourths majority approval in a national referendum.
Next up will be the Government system of Luxembourg which should be another unique and interesting one.
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