Lithuania

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The Republic of Lithuania, with a population of 3.5 million, is situated on the Baltic Sea. It has borders with Latvia, Belarus, Poland, and Russia. Maritime border issues continue to be a source of contention with Latvia.

Lithuania first organized as an independent state in the 1230s. By 1795 most of Lithuania had been incorporated into Russia. Attempts to restore a Lithuanian state (1794, 1830–31, and 1863) resulted in stricter Russian control.

After German occupation in World War I (1914–1918), Lithuania declared independence on February 16, 1918. Lithuanian independence continued until 1940, when the country was occupied by Russian troops after the Hitler-Stalin pact of 1939 and declared a constituent republic of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). A proclamation of independence was reissued in 1990. The USSR demanded a repeal of the decree and attempted to overthrow the new Cabinet of Ministers in 1991 but failed.

A new constitution was ratified on October 25, 1992. The constitution is built on the foundation of the Lithuanian codes of law from the late sixteenth century and splits authority in Lithuania between the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government. The split of authority provides a system of checks and balances for the branches. Lithuanians exercise supreme power either directly or through representation by elected officials as stated in the constitution. Any Lithuanian eighteen and older may vote in elections.

The legislative branch of government consists of the Seimas, or parliament. The Seimas is composed of 141 members who are elected to a four-year term on the basis of universal, equal, and direct voting by secret ballot. The Seimas enacts laws, announces presidential elections, approves presidential appointments, debates state issues, supervises government programs, appoints judges to the court system, and creates and abolishes government programs as necessary, among other tasks.

The president heads the executive branch of government. Lithuanians elect the president in free, direct, secret ballot elections. The president's primary roles include all matters related to foreign policy, the appointments of the prime minister and Cabinet of Ministers, and the signing of international treaties. The government of the republic is headed by the prime minister and the Cabinet of Ministers. Their duties include organizing the administration of the ministries, administering the affairs of the country, protecting the territory of the Republic of Lithuania, and ensuring state security and public order. The Seimas approves

appointments to prime minister and the Cabinet of Ministers as a check on the president's authority.

Like many Western European systems, the Lithuanian judiciary has several divisions: a constitutional court that hears only constitutional challenges to laws, judicial rulings, and executive decrees; a regular judicial hierarchy headed by a Supreme Court for ordinary civil and criminal cases; a Senate of Judges drawn from the membership of the Supreme Court that overturns court decisions that conflict with the European Convention on Human Rights; an administrative courts system for disputes about government actions and benefits; and a set of arbitration boards to hear various other disputes. The judiciary is independent, and Lithuanian citizens are able to exercise a full range of political and civil rights.

Lithuania entered the European Union (EU) on May 1, 2004. The transition to the EU highlighted problems of government corruption. A land-planning scandal in 2003 started a chain of wide-scale investigations, which led to the conviction of public officials and judges as well as the impeachment of the president in 2003. According to the Special Investigation Bureau in Lithuania, corruption occurs in 70 percent of public procurements. The proliferation of corruption affects many differing aspects of society, including education, health services, and economic development. Lithuania continues to work with the EU and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to address these concerns.

Estonia; European Union; Latvia.

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Freedom House. "Lithuania." Freedom in the World 2004. New York: Freedom House, 2004. <http://www.freedomhouse.org/res earch/freeworld/2004/countryratings/lit huania.htm>.

"Lithuania." CIA World Factbook. Washington, DC: Central Intelligence Agency, 2004. <http://www.cia.gov/cia/publicat ions/factbook/geos/lh.html>.

United Nations Online Network in Public Administration and Finance. "Country Report of Lithuania." Nations in Transit 2004. <http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/g roups/public/documents/nispacee/unpan01 6581.pdf>.

University of Washington, Baltic States Studies. Encyclopedia of Baltic History. <http://depts.washington.edu/bal tic/encyclopedia.html>.

U.S. Department of State, Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs. "Background Note: Latvia," December 2004. <http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bg n/5378.htm>.

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