Constitution:
adopted 25 October 1992
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: Prime Minister Gediminas KIRKILAS (since 4 July
2006)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the
nomination of the prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term
(eligible for a second term); election last held 13 and 27 June 2004
(next to be held June 2009); prime minister 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%; Gediminas
KIRKILAS approved by Parliament 85-13, with 5 abstentions
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%, TS
14.6%, For Order and Justice (Liberal Democrats and Lithuanian
People's Union) 11.4%, Liberal and Center Union 9.1%, Farmers and
New Democracy Union 6.6%, other 9%; seats by faction - Labor 29,
Homeland Union 26, Social Democrats 23, Civil Democracy (split from
Labor) 11, Liberal Movement (formerly Liberal Political Group) 11,
National Farmer's Union (formerly Farmers and New Democracy Union)
11, Social Liberal 10, Liberal Democrats 9, Liberal and Center
Political Group 8, independents 3 (as of late-July 2006)
Judicial branch:
Constitutional Court; Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; judges for
all courts appointed by the President
Political parties and leaders:
Civil Democracy Party [Viktor MUNTIANAS, chairman]; Electoral
Action of Lithuanian Poles [Valdemar TOMASZEVSKI, chairman];
National Farmer's Union [Kazimiera PRUNSKIENE, chairman]; Homeland
Union/Conservative Party or TS [Andrius KUBILIUS, chairman]; Labor
Party; Liberal and Center Political Group [Arturas ZUOKAS,
chairman]; Liberal Democratic Party [Valentinas MAZURONIS,
chairman]; Liberal Movement; 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;
Social Liberal/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, BA, 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, IPU, ISO
(correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NATO, NIB, NSG, OIF (observer), OPCW,
OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate
partner), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Kornelija
JURGAITIENE
chancery: 4590 MacArthur Blvd. NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20007
telephone: [1] (202) 234-5860
FAX: [1] (202) 328-0466
consulate(s) general: Chicago, New York