Legal system:
based on civil law system; legislative acts can be appealed to the
constitutional court
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Valdas ADAMKUS (since 12 July 2004)
head of government: Premier Algirdas Mykolas BRAZAUSKAS (since 3
July 2001)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the
nomination of the premier
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 13 June 2004 and 27 June 2004; premier appointed
by the president on the approval of the Parliament
election results: Valdas ADAMKUS elected president; percent of vote
- Valdas ADAMKUS 52.2%, Kazimiera PRUNSKIENE 47.8%
Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament or Seimas (141 seats, 71 members are directly
elected by popular vote, 70 are elected by proportional
representation; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 10 and 24 October 2004 (next to be held October
2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - Labor 28.6%, Working
for Lithuania (Social Democrats and Social Liberals) 20.7%, Homeland
Union (Conservatives) 14.6%, For Order and Justice (Liberal
Democrats and Lithuanian People's Union) 11.4%, Liberal and Center
Union 9.1%, Union of Farmers and New Democracy 6.6%; seats by
faction - Labor 39, Homeland Union 25, Social Democrats 20, Liberal
and Center Union 18, Social Liberals 11, Union of Farmers and New
Democracy Parties 10, Liberal Democrats 10, Electoral Action 2,
independents 6
Judicial branch:
Constitutional Court; Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; judges for
all courts appointed by the President
Political parties and leaders:
Electoral Action of Lithuanian Poles [Valdemar TOMASZEVSKI,
chairman]; Homeland Union/Conservative Party or TS [Andrius
KUBILIUS, chairman]; Labor Party [Viktor USPASKICH, chairman];
Liberal and Center Union [Arturas ZUOKAS, chairman]; Liberal
Democratic Party [Valentinas MAZURONIS, chairman]; Lithuanian
Christian Democrats or LKD [Valentinas STUNDYS, chairman];
Lithuanian People's Union for a Fair Lithuania; Lithuanian Social
Democratic Coalition [Algirdas BRAZAUSKAS, chairman] consists of the
Lithuanian Democratic Labor Party or LDDP and the Lithuanian Social
Democratic Party or LSDP; New Democracy and Farmer's Union or VNDPS
[Kazimiera PRUNSKIENE, chairman]; Social Liberals (New Union)
[Arturas PAULAUSKAS, chairman]; Social Union of Christian
Conservatives [Gediminas VAGNORIUS, chairman]; Young Lithuania and
New Nationalists
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB,
EU (new member), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU,
MIGA, NIB, NSG, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UNMIK, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (member affiliate), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO,
WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Vygaudas USACKAS consulate(s) general: Chicago and New York FAX: [1] (202) 328-0466 telephone: [1] (202) 234-5860 chancery: 2622 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Stephen D. MULL
embassy: 2600 Akmenu 6, Vilnius
mailing address: American Embassy, Vilnius, PSC 78, Box V, APO AE
09723
telephone: [370] (5) 266 5500
FAX: [370] (5) 266 5510