 |
LITHUANIA |
|
LITHUANIA |
INTRODUCTION
Although Lithuania is first mentioned in 1009 in the annals of Quedlinburg, the state of Lithuania officially dates from 1236, when the Great Duke Mindaugas consolidated a large part of lands belonging to the Balts. Lithuania has had many incarnations: first as the Grant Duchy of Lithuania, which existed for five centuries, then as an integral part of the Lithuanian-Polish Kingdom, and from 1795 Lithuania was occupied by Russia for more than one hundred and twenty years. Lithuania first proclaimed its independence on 16 February 1918. After twenty-two years as a sovereign state, Lithuania became a victim of the Hitler-Stalin pact in 1940 and was incorporated into the Soviet Union. After fifty years of occupation, on 11 March 1990 Lithuania re-established its independence and started restructuring all branches of its socio-economic structures.
With a total area of sixty-five thousand three hundred square kilometres, Lithuania has a population of 3.7 million people with 56.8 inhabitants per square kilometre. Administratively, Lithuania is divided into ten counties, including eleven cities of national jurisdiction and forty-four rural districts. The capital, Vilnius, is the largest city in Lithuania (573,000 habitants), and other major cities include Kaunas (410,000), Klaipeda (201,500), Shiauliai (146,500), and Panevezys (132,300).
The Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania was adopted by referendum in October 1992 and declares that Lithuania is a sovereign democratic republic, where each person can defend his/her rights on a constitutional basis. Sovereign state power is vested in the people and is exercised by the Seimas (Parliament), the president, the government, and the courts. The president of the republic is the head of state.
All representative democratic institutions are elected in free, open elections with direct voting. The Seimas is elected for four years, and the winning political party has majority directly or through coalitions. The president is elected by Lithuanian citizens by secret ballot for a term of five years on the basis of universal, equal, and direct suffrage. Local governments, a fundamental component of the territorial division of power, are elected for three years.
The government is the highest authority of executive power and comprises the prime minister and ministers. The prime minister is appointed and dismissed by the president, with the approval of the Seimas. Ministers are appointed by the president upon nomination from the prime minister.
[ Home ] [ Up ] [ Introduction ] [ Part 1 ] [ Part 2 ] [ Part 3 ] [ Part 4 ] [ Part 5 ] [ Part 6 ] [ Part 7 ] [ Part 8 ] [ Part 9 ] [ Annexes ]
