Politics

The politics of Lithuania takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Lithuania is the head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system.

Executive power is exercised by the government, which is headed by the Prime Minister. Federal legislative power is vested in both the government and the unicameral Seimas (Lithuanian Parliament). Judicial power is vested in judges appointed by the President of Lithuania and is independent of executive and legislature power. The judiciary consists of the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court, and the Court of Appeal as well as the separate administrative courts. The Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania established these powers upon its approval on October 25, 1992. Being a multi-party system, the government of Lithuania is not dominated by any single political party, rather it consists of numerous parties that must work with each other to form coalition governments.

Government in Lithuania is made up of three branches originally envisioned by enlightenment philosopher Baron de Montesquieu: executive, legislative, and judicial. Each branch is separate and is set up to do checks and balances on each others branch.

Executive Branch

The executive branch of the Lithuanian government consists of a President, a Prime Minister and the President's Council of Ministers. It is in charge of running the government.

President

The President of Lithuania is the head of state of the country, elected directly for a five-year term. The president can serve maximum of two terms consecutively. The President also serves as the commander-in-chief and oversees foreign and security policy. The President, with the approval of the Seimas, is first responsible of appointing the Prime Minister. Upon the Prime Minister's nomination, the President also appoints, under the recommendation of the Prime Minister, the Council of Ministers (13 ministries), as well as a number of other top civil servants and the judges for all courts. The President of the Republic addresses political problems of foreign and domestic affairs, proclaims state of emergency, considers the laws adopted by the Seimas, and performs other duties specified in the Constitution.

Prime Minister

The Prime Minister of Lithuania is the head of government of the country, appointed by the President and approved by the Seimas. The Prime Minister, within 15 days of being appointed, is responsible for choosing Ministers for the President to approve to each of the 13 Ministries. In general, the Prime Minister is in charge of the affairs of the country, maintains homeland security, carries out laws and resolutions of the Seimas and decrees of the President, maintains diplomatic relations with foreign countries and international organisations, and performs other duties specified in the Constitution. When the Prime Minister resigns or dies, the position is to be filled as soon as possible and the new leader will appoint a new Government.

Council of Ministers

Similar to the cabinet of other nations, the Council of Ministers consists of 13 Ministers chosen by the Prime Minister and appointed by the President. Each Minister is responsible for their own Ministry of the Lithuanian government and must give reports on their Ministry when directed to.

Legislative Branch

The parliament (Seimas) has 141 members that are elected for a 4-year term. About half of the members are elected in single-member districts (71), and the other half (70) are elected in the nationwide vote using proportional representation by party lists. A party must receive at least 5% of the national vote to be represented in the Seimas.

Judicial Branch

The judges of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublikos Konstitucinis Teismas) for a single nine year term are appointed by the Seimas from the candidates presented by the President (three judges), Chairman of Seimas (three judges) and the chairman of the Supreme Court (three judges).

Foreign Relations

Lithuania became a member of the United Nations on September 18, 1991, and is a signatory to a number of its organisations and other international agreements. It is also a member of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, NATO and its adjunct North Atlantic Coordinating Council, the Council of Europe, and the European Union. Lithuania gained membership in the World Trade Organisation on May 31, 2001. It also seeks membership in the OECD and other Western organisations.

Lithuania maintains foreign diplomatic missions in 94 countries on six continents and consular posts in two countries that are not represented by an embassy. Lithuania's liberal "zero-option" citizenship law has substantially erased tensions with its neighbours. Lithuania's suspension of two strongly ethnic Polish district councils on charges of blocking reform or disloyalty during the August 1991 coup had cooled relations with Poland, but bilateral cooperation markedly increased with the holding of elections in those districts and the signing of a bilateral Friendship Treaty in 1994. Relations with Poland are now among the closest enjoyed by Lithuania. Although a similar bilateral friendship agreement was signed with Belarus in 1995, Lithuania has joined the United States and other European nations in urging the Government of Belarus to adopt democratic and economic reforms.

International Disputes

Latvia

Talks continue over a maritime boundary dispute with Latvia, primarily concerning oil exploration rights.

Russia

There are ongoing popular demands to formally condemn the crimes committed by the Soviet regime.

In 2005, a fighter aircraft accompanying a Russian spy plane over the Baltic Sea violated Lithuanian airspace for about 20 minutes before crashing near Kaunas.

In October 2006, Russia's FSB security service arrested an official in the Kaliningrad region accused of spying for Lithuania.

Illicit Drug Trafficking

Lithuania has been a transshipment point for opiates and other illicit drugs from Russia, Southwest Asia, Latin America, and Western Europe to Western Europe and Scandinavia.

Human Trafficking

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) reports that about 1,000 citizens of Lithuania fall victim to trafficking annually. Most are women between the ages of 21 and 30 who are sold into prostitution.

Anti-Terrorism

Lithuania is a signatory to 8 of the 12 International Conventions related to counter- terrorist activities.

Military

The Lithuanian Armed Forces consist of 16,000 personnel in uniform, and consist of Ground Forces, Navy, Air and Air Defence Force, Security Forces (internal and border troops), and Voluntary National Defence Forces (KASP).

Lithuania's defence system is based on the concept of "total and unconditional defence" mandated by Lithuania's national security strategy. The goal of Lithuania's defence policy is to prepare their society for general defence and to integrate Lithuania into Western security and defence structures. The defence ministry is responsible for combat forces, search/rescue, and intelligence operations. There is a mandatory 1-year conscription, with alternative service available for conscientious objectors.

The 5,400 border guards fall under the Interior Ministry's supervision and are responsible for border protection, passport and customs duties, and share responsibility with the navy for smuggling/drug trafficking interdiction. A special security department handles VIP protection and communications security.

Lithuania cooperates with Estonia and Latvia in the joint infantry battalion BALTBAT and naval squadron BALTRON as well as with Poland in the LITPOLBAT, all of which are available for peacekeeping operations.

NATO fighter aircraft are involved in the patrolling and protection of Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian air space. No threat is perceived, however the NATO treaty requires air defence patrols of partner countries' airspace. Each contributing nation deploys (usually four) aircraft for a period of four months to the former Soviet air base Siauliai.